The upcoming election has neighbors buzzing, but the campaign ads, rhetoric, and uncertainty about the future are affecting the public’s mental health. Neighborhood News reporter Tony Jaramillo spoke with an expert and local voters to see how election anxiety impacts our outlook on the election.Marigail Reyna, a local voter, said, “Honestly, yeah. Just a little bit. Especially in the national presidential election, just because there has been violence in the past, and it’s just grown in the past few years.”
“Not as far as we’re concerned,” they said. There are a lot of people who seem to worry about it, but we don’t,” said Patrick and Christina McGee.These different voters had differing opinions about their fears or concerns about the upcoming election results. Those fears are very real. A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that 74% of Americans have concerns about the potential for widespread election-related violence.
Political analyst Dr. David Smith said, “I think we’re seeing an exhaustion and almost apathetic stance from the average voters because they’re tired of hearing about the divisiveness in the political scene.”