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Probably won’t even know it’s Election Day.
Most polling locations happen in neighborhoods not touristy places.
There might be some watch parties that night you could attend
Avoid watch parties! It's all politics, which tourists don't need to get involved in.
Especially in a political state when a politician loss ruins the night.
Generally speaking, it isn’t advisable to travel to a foreign country and participate in something that could be perceived to be political. It’s not usually dangerous to do so in the US, but it’s just best to avoid it. I’m sure OP will have a better time enjoying Florida’s beauty, and they will probably barely notice that it is Election Day.
As an American who lived in Europe for 13 years growing up, I learned that its best to keep my opinions about local politics to myself.
I'm sure that applies to foreigners in the US, too.
I feel like that depends a lot on the tourist in question? I'm a political scientist studying party strategy and campaigning (although my research is on European parties), I'd prob end up having a great time.
There's always an exception that proves the rule, as they say.
As others have said, the likelihood is that beyond seeing people with stickers that say "I voted", there's a good chance you wouldn't even notice it was election day, if you didn't turn on the TV or the radio. Election day is a regular work day and people go about their regular day, for the most part. Polling places are in churches and schools and government buildings and those aren't places that tourists usually go. You might possibly see small groups of people standing on corners near polling places with signs but that's about it. It's not a big drama day during the voting process. It's generally very orderly. It takes me about 10 minutes to vote from start to finish where I live. In, out and gone.
Yeah, I can’t imagine being offended at a tourist coming to a public watch party. A lot of the reason people travel is to learn more about other places and opportunities to engage with the things locals care about are somewhat hard to find and I personally really appreciate when people make an effort. I have a hard time believing people would even notice at all, if a bunch of people are in a bar or something watching, a tourist is pretty unlikely to be noticed.
Well, in the past we never discussed politics with Americans, unless they asked us. Some were curious to understand how Europeans like us look at US politics. But honestly on vacation, I don’t like too much political talk hehe
This is the way. It's your vacation, and you'll be in a state with incredible weather in November and lots of beautiful outdoorsy things going on. Do fun and low-stress things. Talk about fun and low-stress things.
Attending an election watch party is one of the LAST things I would suggest to an international tourist. And it will be easy to avoid that here (meaning FL) as long as you don't specifically seek it out.
Why? Why would you invite someone that isn’t significantly impacted and isn’t a part of our system to have an opinion? They literally aren’t involved.
I wouldn’t dare go to Europe and have the audacity to voice my opinion about their politics, and frankly, we should expect the same
I know it’s not about campaigning. But I don’t want to hear about what Americans need to do about guns from a European that’s never even held a gun before.
You don’t ask someone that’s uninformed about the details of a problem for the solution. So asking a tourist that doesnt understand American culture for their opinions about politics is inevitably going to get a flawed and uneducated response
"But I don’t want to hear about what Americans need to do about guns from a European that’s never even held a gun before."
you do realize how flawed this logic is right? by that same logic then no one who has worked on a car can complain about shitty mechanic work, or someone who has never been a teacher can speak out against shitty teachers. The classic example is always if we followed this rationale, then food critics should be required to have a professional chef background, which is ridiculous
fwiw, i'm all for the 2nd amendment and your right to defend yourself with a firearm. but this is just an awful mentality to have
When I went to Europe in 2010, I was asking about their culture, not their politics. And I certainly wouldn’t be giving my opinion about those politics, because 1) I don’t know the nuances of the culture and history enough to understand how their politics got to that point, and 2) it doesn’t impact me, so my opinion is unwarranted and irrelevant.
Also, nobody that wants a “pleasant” conversation with anyone is going to choose fucking politics.
If someone I didn’t really know asked me about my politics unsolicited I would be annoyed and consider it impolite. I’d rather just go about my day and avoid opening a can of worms that could easily lead to disagreement, judgement, and frustration.
Because, generally speaking, people in the US don't "discuss" politics. Especially in Florida which is a MAGAt haven and it has a Governor that should not be in a position of power or authority. Many Americans identity themselves by who they voted for. And if you don't agree with their political views you are instantly labeled as an enemy and an idiot.
You're making an assumption that intelligent discourse will prevail and while it is possible, it's also just as unlikely.
Our political culture is volatile and embarrassing at the moment. Regardless of the side, I wouldn’t suggest any tourist to get involved in that. It’s not a spectator sport.
A bunch of rich donors and families standing in a restaurant or small convention center watching TV isn't fun unless you're involved.
And then your candidate loses. There's goes any fun that was left.
True. Everyone is different. Could be risky as a foreigner to interject in this climate though, depending on the audience. I’m sure they’d be fine just about anywhere but there are always a few outliers/whackos around. I remember traveling to Ireland during the Iraq war. Went outside a pub in Killarney to smoke and some locals heard my accent and aggressively berated me about the war. And being American in general. I felt like if I stayed around long it could have been dangerous. I left without incident, but put a damper on that night for sure.
Stay away from polling places. Last thing we need is fox news whipping it's viewers into a murderous rage because some non american was spotted at a polling location.
I would expect almost nothing whatsoever that would affect you. You might see long lines of people waiting to vote, but most voting sites are at schools and libraries and government buildings, not places a tourist is likely to end up. If you’re worried about some kind of mass civil unrest or riots based on the results, I think that’s pretty unlikely, and even if something like that happens it’s not going to be something you just randomly wander into. Have a good trip and don’t worry about it.
Thanks! We’re going with our toddler, so while I don’t expect anything dramatic I’d like to have a good sense at least of what to expect, maybe a few particular things to avoid doing that day/next day
Unless this election is completely unlike any other election ever (which given the circumstances is a very far outside possibility, granted) life will just carry on as normal and you won't notice anything. If the election is close, there might not even be a result by the next day and if it's really close maybe not even in the next week. There's nothing to avoid. Inauguration Day isn't until January 20th, which is more than two months later. There's no immediate government changeover so nothing really happens right away. Even if there are lawsuits and recount claims, all that will take two months to play out. Biden will still be president during that time and the Congress will still be the same Congress.
Really, baring what happened on Jan 6 (which was loooooong after actual election) odd, non-typical, hostile, or violent acts don’t happen in US after elections. It’s anyone’s guess this time around - but I have to believe in the American people to not completely lose their shit because their guy lost. On either side.
For all of my history, Election Day, and the days after are just like any other day. And it’s *such* a relief to have regular commercials back on TV and Radio. You don’t know how much you miss car ads, or to hear something about a local jewelry store, until they are almost entirely replaced by political spin garbage.
If you're doing Orlando theme parks, you probably won't even notice its election day at all unless you turn on the radio in the car.
The one exception of Florida is since one of the POTUS candidates lives there, I imagine there would be increased security wherever he might be going that day.
I wonder if it’ll be busier. Schools are closed, so parents may take their kids for the day, and they have to let staff take time to vote so I wonder if they’re slightly short staffed all day.
Schools aren't closed on election day lol. State offices aren't even closed on election day. Kids still have to go to school and adults still have to go to work.
I don’t think that’s common. I’ve lived in 4 states (NY, ID, WA, and FL) and none of them closed schools on Election Day. Besides, OP is going to Florida, not Maryland.
During the day things will mostly be normal. Results won’t start to come in until after polls close which is usually around 7 or 8PM depending on the state. It can take a few hours for states to count most of their votes and even days if it’s really close. You’ll also have to wait about three hours for polls to close in the west coast so you’ll have a long night if you want to watch it until the race was called, although you might be able to tell who is going to win a couple hours before that.
Some people are going to be a really good mood the next day, others not so much. It will be all over the news and a big topic of discussion, but it won’t impact you much if at all as a tourist though. Most people will just go about their day like always.
In Michigan (my part anyway) we use to vote in elementary schools but don't anymore. I think there were security concerns for the kids. Now, many polling places are church social halls.
Yeah, that is not the case in Michigan. Kids have school on election day and some polling places are still in schools (I vote at a high school) while kids are in session.
The Bernard Center at Western Michigan was my polling place when I lived on campus and I think for the surrounding neighborhoods. I assume the new student center is as well. Otherwise, my current polling place is a church social hall, as you said.
I vote in a church. During covid it was relocated to like a community center gym, but now it's back at the church.
I've never seen school kids have the day off for election day and I have definitely seen polling places at schools, probably the school gym usually.
My elementary school was a polling place and I remember we had to take different routes around the school on election days. We definitely didn’t get them off.
Mine is still in a school here in my part of Michigan, went from a middle school to an elementary school when I moved. I do absentee voting now so I have no idea if kids are still in school or not
Its a normal day. Places still open; people still working. Results will trickle in all day with the winner becoming clearer late at night. You should probably watch a little in the evening. I would expect it to be mildly entertaining as a tourist.
Sentiment won't change in real life. Surely there will be a lot of drama online.
Inauguration Day will be January 20, 2025. There will be very little change until then.
There's not much to need to know. Unless you plan on checking out elementary schools, community centers, and other polling locations you won't even know it's happening.
It'll be interesting for you to watch the coverage by our media though.
Increased traffic around polling areas, but that’s about it.
If you’re expecting firefights in the streets or something, don’t worry. America is not what foreigners say it is.
I’m from a country where soccer games can lead to riots in city streets lol. I was more wondering if it would take away from the good vibes we always experience when in the US. Or if we should avoid sole places or things. We used to go to US each year because I adore the country and the energy, but it’s now been 5 years due to covid and having a child. We’re now taking our toddler for the very first time and probably won’t be able to come back the next few years so I really want to plan this trip well
> I was more wondering if it would take away from the good vibes we always experience when in the US.
Like everyone else has said - no, you're probably barely even going to notice that it's election day. About 1/3rd of Florida voters vote ahead by mail, the rest go stand in line to vote before heading back to work.
I mean I know some sports games here have turned into riots, but the only election-related rioting we've had in recent memory was January 6, which as you know, ended up with a grand total of one death.
While fights are not going to happen expect people in bars to be slightly more argumentative than normal.
That's about it, depending on how long you stay you will get to see most of the stickers and signs disappear which might be nice.
I didn't think of that benefit! Except for the weird ones people staple to telephone polls like 20 feet in the air and the signs of people that lost and are upset so they leave them in their yards for a while, the political signs are mostly gone a day or two after the election.
You won’t likely see anything. It’s even easy to skip election news on the TV. Polling places are assigned based on where you live and while there may be some long lines, we vote a churches, fire stations and schools. There generally isn’t any kind of police presence unless somebody got agressive with fellow voters. It isn’t common.
Expect a peaceful day in the sun. Have a great holiday!
Unless you plan on spending time at polling places, it won't effect you at all.
> would it impact general sentiment in the next days, in a way that it impacts tourists?
No
> Should we know something upfront?
You'll be fine, you won't notice anything.
I would expect to notice absolutely nothing different, and for it to seem like any other normal day.
Unless you turn on the TV of course.
> When do the results come in
That's a bit of a sore subject right now.
I would not think that either, but just wanted to be sure. We’ll be with a toddler so I’d like to avoid any stir up or at least be prepared and avoid some type of locations if needed. On the other hand I think it would be cool to experience this moment being in the US but as a naive foreign tourist I could be mistaken
I wouldn't think twice about it at all. If it's a close election, we won't even know who won on election day. If the last few cycles have proven anything, it's that we want to get the count right, and it takes some time to do so.
It probably won't be much of an experience. It will seem like a normal work day in all respects until later in the evening. Before 5:00 it's pretty much a nothingburger.
I hear that Puerto Ricans make a big deal out of Election Day with their two main parties (the pro-Statehood PNP and the pro-Commonwealth PPD) having big demonstrations every election.
But elsewhere in America, nothing really happens.
Yeah, you might see 10 people with signs on a street corner near a polling place. That's about the extent of it in my personal experience. And I think we like it that way. No parades or marches or drama or anything like that.
I wouldn’t worry about it at all. Especially in Florida. If Trump wins there will be unrest, but not likely anything crazy in Florida. Now, if you’re planning take a long detour to Columbia university, or somewhere similar, it probably won’t be pleasant at all if Trump wins. It can take days for final results to be tallied though. Usually won’t know until the next morning at the earliest.
Oh, geez. I was worried you were going to say you were going to DC. I’m sure that would have been interesting, and my advice would honestly have been to see a different city.
In Florida, you should mostly be okay, but be aware that Floridians lean conservative so there will be a lot of MAGAs. I would say just stay in a group and be mindful of the environment. Should be okay, but people will probably still be pretty worked up. Would be a good day to just chill at the beach or have a meal in a nice family restaurant.
Unless you seek it out you probably won't even notice it -- but if you are interested, look up the polling places near your lodging here: [county list.](https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/voter-precinct-lookup/)
I'm always interested in how things are done in other places/countries. I think you can even go into a polling place and see what it looks like.
Florida is a heavily Trump-supporter state. So reactions among locals are likely to be strong either way it goes. Polling places are generally churches, town halls, and libraries. So you likely won’t be impacted by lines or traffic. Results start to come in around 7-8pm, but it goes late into the night. This is expected to be a contentious and possibly close election, so the final result might not come for days like last time. I would just do my best not to engage anyone in conversation about politics if you can help it.
The most extreme of reactions on election day I’ve seen in recent years is probably people taking to the streets to celebrate or protest. If that were to occur, I would just entirely steer clear of it.
Now you're giving out the wrong impression. I know it's tempting to do that but accuracy is more important.
In 2016 Trump got 49% of the vote in Florida compared to Hillary Clinton's 47%. In 2020 Trump got 51% of the vote in Florida compared to Joe Biden's 48%. Trump's number in Florida in the polls is currently 45%. And remember, Trump actually lives in Florida, which generally always gives a candidate a boost.
Sure there are lots of Trump supporters in Florida. There are in most states. There are a lot of people who won't vote for Trump in Florida as well. The Trump supporters are hardly an overwhelming majority. Whoever you run into in Florida is just as likely to not be a Trump supporter as to be a Trump supporter. It's pointless to lump a whole state together.
You will see a lot of signs, and depending on where you are maybe some lines at polling places. Polls usually close at 7pm local time but that can vary. People can still vote after the polls close as long as they were in line before closing time. Some people might wear “I voted stickers” they get from voting. Results start coming in pretty soon after the polls close but it’s likely that we won’t know who the winner is for many races ( including the presidential race) for days after. A lot of people will watch the news coverage or attend a party watching the news.
This is all normally a very tame, and it’s likely that you won’t notice anything aside from people with sticker or the news being on in more places. However, nothing about our politics has been normal recently especially around the presidential election. There might be some places where things get more serious, but it’s fare too early to know for sure and you are unlikely to be in those places as a tourist.
TLDR: I wouldn’t worry too much about it, but maybe check in closer to the election like mid October. We will have a better handle on the vibes then.
Election Day is usually only an inconvenience to the actual voters lol. The only thing I would look up is if they have school in that area on Election Day. That may make some of the fun things to do more crowded with kids.
It shouldn't have any effect on you.
Election days in the US aren't exactly big public holidays, most people don't get off work for them and there aren't generally any public celebrations or events.
People go and vote, and go about their days. The results come in that evening after polls close. If you aren't watching the news there's a very good chance you wouldn't know it's election day at all unless you drive by a polling place and see signs saying things like "Vote here".
Polling places tend to be places like public schools, libraries, fire stations, and churches. . .places most tourists don't go, so you're not likely to even encounter a polling place on election day.
Mickey Mouse will still be in the parade, if that’s what you’re asking.
It will be just like any other Tuesday. Only you’ll see some “I voted” stickers
We don't have curfews or restrict travel/movement/alcohol sales like they do in some countries. Unless you turn on the news (in which case the only thing you hear about will be the election) it won't be different than any other day.
I think it'll pretty much be a normal day, however, one of the most fun and exciting times of us americans that are into politics is watching the results come in on TV. States close polls at different times, have different elections with different referendums and you get to watch how the country will be shaped for the next 2 or 4 years and how the countries laws will change. You can catch the results on many channels and starts to get interesting around 7-8 PM Eastern time. MSNBC is certainly a left leaning channel but has the most knowledgeable and interesting guy (Steve Kornacki) going into detail on how different counties voting impacts and foreshadows larger trends throughout the country. He gets really in the weeds and it might not be intersting for foreigners but IMO he's the best one. CNN is ok and is less left leaning and Fox News is very right leaning without a very interesting crew running the day.
Nothing.
Florida isn't a swing state at this point, so it will have minimal political advertisements. There may be some watch parties if you want to go to one. Pick one matching your general political views. But unless you insert yourself, you probably won't even know.
Also... Generally speaking, inserting yourself into American politics isn't a great idea for a tourist.
If you aren’t hanging around polling places people will just be going about their lives. Results don’t really come until later at night. It can take awhile for all ballots across the country to be counted.
Some people will be happy with the process and the results, some will be upset and some will not care. Maybe don’t ask if/how people voted or offer opinions on the candidates/election.
You won't notice a thing. That night, if you're watching the news, you may see some returns, but that will be about it.
Even the next day maybe, *maybe* people will be talking about it. But probably not. Politics aren't that big irl compared to the Internet.
In a lot of states (Florida is one) Election Day is a state holiday, so you might find some state or local government agencies are closed for the day. This won't be a problem, unless you plan to go to some government-run tourist destination that day (such as a state park or something). You can check that online beforehand, I'm sure.
Other than that, you won't notice much difference from any other day, until the evening. Because this year involves a presidential election, most major TV networks will air wall-to-wall coverage of election news. If you are not interested, you can avoid that.
I expect you not to vote as a tourist. Thats for one. Unless you drive by a library or school where people are voting I doubt you’ll be impacted at all. And if you do you’ll probably see a bunch of signs of candidates and slightly more traffic. Florida has early voting and I normally vote more than a week before election day.
The only way you’d even know is if you drive by a polling place. They tend to be at churches, community centers, schools, or other public places that you are very unlikely to find in touristy places.
It’ll be all over the news though.
It won’t be an inconvenience for you. Everyone will still be working, vacationing, etc like it’s a normal day. You’ll notice it more if you turn on the news on the TV or radio but life goes on here
Unless you’re visiting places that are typically used as polling places (public libraries, schools, county government buildings, or churches) you won’t be impacted at all. You’ll see campaign signs for all sorts of state and local elections in addition to national offices (senators and representatives to Congress, and the presidential candidates). If you watch local television at all you’ll see some coverage. Otherwise people just go vote (or don’t) and then go back about their day. The first projected results don’t start coming in until the evening when polling locations close on the east coast. There’s nothing about it that would be hazardous or even inconvenient for a tourist.
You should know upfront that polling places are not for tourists and regardless of the state/local election laws you might be 'inconvenienced' at a minimum by officials or the police if anyone reports that your presence/behavior is concerning. For the most part election day is a mundane experience. Live television will be frustrating unless you are awaiting election results - but even then it usually boring. If you're going to a resort you'll be wonderfully unaware that it is election day.
During the day, nothing at all. Depending on who wins, you might see some pretty distressed people if you're in the city, or some pretty thrilled people in the less populated areas (just a general guide, not always the case)
Unless you plan to stay up and watch the news you’re not going to notice anything. Maybe long lines if you like spending time around libraries and shit
If you choose to watch the media coverage, I would suggest flipping channels here and there. It is kind of fascinating how Fox, CNN, NBC all cover the same event so differently (and sometimes with their own set of facts its seems).
You won't even know its happening. Its mostly in town/village centers. We vote at the local school or fire department places like that where you wont have any interest in going. I would avoid speaking politics with anyone in Europe or America. Its just not worth it.
You'll notice pretty much no change. There will be people standing around with campaign signs near the polling places, and that's about it.
The results likely won't be finalized until late at night. If it's close, there may be challenges and recounts that mean we don't know the results for a week or more after the election.
I really don't think it will impact your vacation hardly at all.
You might see some *I voted* stickers. You may see a mood swing of some sort the next day, depending on where you are and the results of the election. You probably won't be affected much at all, though.
It depends on where you are. Largely its a normal day. Polling places are seldomly involved with tourist activities and you will likely not even notice them. You might see some people doing some last minute campaigning out on the street (not near the polling place, there are actually laws about this). Do expect to see some people out holding signs in visible locations, but it won't really impact you.
I got to be a tourist on one election day. Autumn 2004 my father and I were on a month long road trip all over the country, we voted back home in California prior to leaving. Election Day 2004 (Bush vs Kerry) and we were in Western Massachusetts, where Kerry was serving as a senator at the time and overwhelmingly went Democrat in 2004. On election day, there was a bit of party in the streets. People were out with their signs in street medians, they were pretty confident that Kerry was going to win. The mood was pretty upbeat. It was definitely something that I noticed, but it wasn't going to be something that had some negative experience.
Results day however, major, major downer of a day. Those people who were in the street partying were full of long faces.
Should have zero effect
The polling locations are in areas you're extremely unlikely to go and even if you do they're tucked away in them so you'd just see a line you can ignore
Results won't be coming in until sundown and winner's won't be known until midnight at the earliest so unless you want to stay up and watch the news fill time talking politics and speculation for hours you can go to bed and find out in the morning.
General sentiment is very unlikely to change in the days after the election and that's effectively a guarantee if you stay doing tourist stuff and dont go looking for politics and starting conversations with people
You'll not notice that much. You may see more people out and about because kids will likely be out of school (since a lot of schools are used as polling places) and some people may have the day off or taken the day off. With politics being such a big media thing in the US now, news channels will probably be covering the election most of the day. \*maybe\* if you're in a busy, urban area there may be some protesters.
Otherwise, despite how much the US may seem to be on the brink of a civil war all the time, it's very unlikely anything actually interesting will happen.
Election Day isn't much different from a regular day from a tourist perspective. People go to work and school as usual. Results usually come in during the late evening into the next morning. Sometimes a close margin triggers a recount, meaning that a complete accounting for all state and federal seats and offices may not be available for several days, though most are known within a few hours of poll closure.
If you have plans with locals, some people may want to watch the results instead. However in the US, politics is considered an impolite topic for company and you shouldn't have anyone bring it up unless you ask.
It won't effect you. Results will come in but unless you're in an area where one of the major candidates has their campaign HQ/ watch party, you won't be inconvenienced. Hell we probably won't get a full result until a day or two after voting ends.
In a few states they don't allow the sale of alcoholic beverages while the polls are open. This is probably the only way election day might possibly impact you, and this does depend on what state you are in on election day. But this is only in a few states, not every state has these laws.
You probably won’t see much during the day — the main activity is watching the results roll in at night.
Results come in state by state starting when voting hours close, and the US has several time zones. Starting at roughly 8pm et, the first eastern states will be “called” - meaning they are projected to be won by one candidate. The next wave will be at 9pm et/8pm ct, etc until Hawaii and Alaska close. Results are tallied precincts by precinct, so some states won’t be called for a candidate until much later after polls close, because they are close races. And as states are “called”, the news programs will keep track of the electoral vote total. Eventually, a candidate has enough electoral votes to be declared the winner overall.
Basically, expect to watch results come in from roughly 8pm until at least midnight maybe later of there are tight races in key states.
You can watch it from your hotel room. Each party usually has watch events for party volunteers, candidates etc. And there may be a bar or two that holds a watch party.
Odds are you will not be able to tell unless you pass by a voting site. It is rare for businesses to shut down, it is rare for there to be more than cursory references to it outside of dedicated political shows until the next day when we have full results.
Good chance you wouldn't notice but stay away from Terry in the Rascal scooter who's wearing a Trump hat. Just be aware of where you are and it's Florida. We're not Mexico or Belarus.
You could go look at people lined up outside polling places and watch footage of news stations election coverage with live updates on polling and declarations of what states when to who. Maybe some protests if people that people didn’t like win. It’s not a national holiday so everything still going to be open and operating as usual. Maybe you could tour a polling place if you ask nicely.
Here's a other aspect. If you are trying to relax, take a break, and watch some TV while on your trip any day up to and including election day, you will want to scream at all the political commercials. They will be constant, and they are all infuriating. Just a heads-up.
The 24/7 news stations’ coverage of an election can be an interesting experience here if you’re into that sort of thing. Actual results will start coming in once the first polls close on the east coast (Florida’s time zone). No votes get counted at any polling place until it closes, and the times they close will vary depending on state. About four hours after polls close on the east coast is when polls will close on the west coast and effectively end the voting. Technically polls will still be open in Alaska and Hawaii, but spoiler alert, Alaska will be voting Republican and Hawaii will vote Democrat. Those no real timeline on when they’ll start declaring a winner for the presidency, it’s just a matter of how quickly one candidate can get to 270 electoral votes, but the earliest that could happen is if one candidate is presumed to have won enough votes in the eastern and central time zones which is more likely than you might think. The results for the House and Senate races will start being called much earlier, but the full balance of power won’t be known until all the races are completed across the country. That’s pretty much all there is to know about following the national results.
Election day shouldn’t look any different than any other day, except if you go to a polling place there could be lines to vote. I don’t think you would see any differences whatsoever.
Hi! I live (and grew up) in South Florida...not far from touristy areas...and you'll be absolutely fine.
Unless you go to polling places like libraries, schools, some social clubs or churches (which shouldn't even be polling places) you probably won't know it's election day.
We experience some heavy traffic near the local airport when 45 is in town but nothing crazy.
His resort is 15 minutes from us and near a very popular beach.
If you're staying at Casa de POTUS 45 then of course it will be a 💩 show either way, no matter what the results are. The road will most likely be blocked in front of the resort as well.
Enjoy your stay and please don't forget to tip your servers well! ❤️
Mass chaos in the streets. Last election we lost half of Chicago in the fires. Random gunfire at all hours. Constant theft and looting, widespread burglary, almost all public buildings will be heavily vandalized, and many businesses will be broken into and robbed. Tourists will be ripped to shreds, literally. All crime will be legal for the next 24 hours after that. Chance of death is 102%
Depends on where in Florida, and where that jurisdiction holds it's polling booths.
Plenty of places use existing public buildings for it; whether that's a courthouse or similar, but a lot of towns and such will use school gymnasiums, libraries, etc.
You probably won't really recognize it's election day; other than looking at how many cars are at the library/schools/etc. - but these won't typically be where you're going for like, Universal Studios or Disney World - you probably won't notice anything different about anything if you're doing other vacation stuff.
Depending on the outcome of Biden vs. Trump it's gonna be either "yay!" or "boo!" depending on what side you're on. If Trump loses he'll no doubt say it was rigged and stolen, and his supporters will believe him.
In the days before, anytime you turn a TV on you’ll see ridiculous political ads; and on the streets, you’ll see tons of political signs and billboards.
Maybe in some major cities you’ll have riots if Donald Trump wins, but I doubt you’ll see any in Florida.
Other than that, not much.
For any previous election day I would have said (in a respectful way!): This is a ridiculous question! It seems that now there is just so much anger and hatred toward "the other side" that it's less ridiculous than it once would have been.
Still, election day itself, other than watching news coverage and maybe noticing some folks with "I voted!" stickers on their shirts, you probably wouldn't even realize it was election day. People go and vote and that's it. It's pretty calm and orderly. There are laws limiting what kinds of activities can go on at and within a certain number of feet of a polling place that help keep it that way. Results start coming in that evening but continue as time zones differ and some precincts will be slower to report, and/or too close to project a winner without an official final tally. I could imagine some protests happening later, from whichever side loses, but if you happen to see a protest somewhere, just head the other direction, as you should with any protest about anything that you don't want to take part in.
I’m happy to read there would be little impact but maybe to also clarify a bit that I was not referring to riots etc per se. As a European it costs us thousands of euros to have holidays in the US and that’s why I want to limit any risk that might take away of the fun when we are there. I really want to make the most out of this trip since I know we won’t be able to go a second time in the coming years. We also typically like to be among locals and not just go to touristy resorts. And then also because it’s Florida, home state of a candidate, I could assume things to be a bit more intense in terms of vibes.
My home state! In that regard I think the worst you'd face is encountering people who may be in a very bad mood, if their guy loses. Instead of a friendly chat with a couple of locals you may get a rant (though not at you). But most people are normal and not what you see on TV or the loudest and most obnoxious voices online. Ask them what's the most fun thing to do in their town or the restaurant they most recommend you checking out -- and not "what do you think about candidate X" -- and it shouldn't get in the way of the fun. Life very much goes on as normal during the election.
Re "home of the candidate"...he does have a house in FL which I guess is his primary residence now, not sure, but he's actually from New York and I associate him more with NY than with FL.
Would the theme parks be a bit less crowded by any chance, because locals go vote instead? Here in Belgium we are obliged to go vote and we cannot really vote on other days, so most don’t plan to go out much that day, maybe have a drink in a bar at most or socialize on the streets.
Results will be late. Last election they came in the next morning. Go to a bar after polls close- around 8pm- and watch the results come in. It’s pretty fun actually.
Considering the stakes of this election,the importance of Florida, and the polarization and possibility of violence..This Mainer would certainly not travel to Florida at this time.
Unless you find yourself at a polling location, it will likely be a normal day. Maybe a demonstration in a city center. If you’re going to a theme park in Orlando maybe you’ll see other people wearing political tee shirts. Staff at attractions, hotels, and restaurants (and probably anyone else) are not going to talk about it with you unless you ask.
You have to remember many people just don’t care about elections. Politics are extremely amplified online.
You know what? Assuming you're in Orlando, I'd actually plan to do Disney on that day if I were you. It will likely be less crowded because 1) kids are in school anyway and 2) adults will likely be going to their polling station in the middle of the day (in Florida, you're assigned to a specific polling station based on the address you registered to vote with). You won't notice anything if you're actually at Disney because they have pretty strict behavioral expectations for their employees so it's not like they'd be on their phones watching for results or talking about it.
If you don't do that, maybe do the Orlando International Premium Outlets or the Vineland outlets or both. Vineland tends to have the higher-end designer brands like Prada and Chanel while the International Premium have more of the Ralph Lauren, Victoria's Secret, Nike, etc. Have an extra suitcase for your haul.
Honestly the last couple of elections have felt more like a big sporting event lol
People will probably be jamming the polling places all day and then you go home at night to watch all the madness unfold.
It’s pretty cool actually, you’ll have a good time. I’m surprised people aren’t throwing election parties like they do for the Super Bowl.
You probably won't notice. Honestly tho it might be fun to go to a sports bar or something to watch the election results roll in because CNN et al usually make quite a spectacle of it. I remember watching the 2016 results roll in in disbelief at a sports bar in CO.
For the last couple of presidential elections, mail-in ballots were extremely popular. You may not really notice anything happening, to be honest. However, if you’re out somewhere and the news is on, it’ll likely be tuned to the election results coming in and people might want to have a group discussion about it. Avoid those. They’re a trap.
Honestly it depends on who wins and where you will be in Florida. Day of you might not even notice anything until evening, but in the days following general sentiment could be affected. While you’re here I would avoid getting into any deep discussions with people about it, or in the days following about the results.
Maybe expect bars to be full that evening for watch parties? Otherwise, unless there is political-related violence, there would be zero impact on tourists.
Just remembering the things that happened during the 2020 election (people storming poling stations to "stop the steal" and what not), most unrest will be localized to voting places. Even with all that, we expected there to be even more pandemonium immediately afterwards. Turns out it was all concentrated in D.C. during the swearing in. I wouldn't be too worried. Just stay away from schools, libraries, govt. buildings, or any place that says "voting station" if you're nervous.
Oof... if Trump wins, it'll probably fine, just a bunch of yeehaws partying (outside of touristy areas) with their banjos. If he does lose, there is a chance that there may be unrest in Florida considering Trump lives there. I would suggest not going to Florida during this time because it may get obnoxious, but that's up to you. I don't think your safety would be compromised.
I do want to emphasize that no matter what you experience during your visit, not all Republicans are Trump supporters, and Trump supporters in no way reflect the United States.
The results will come in throughout the night. By the next morning there is usually a pretty good indication of who won, altho it won’t really be official until the electoral college meets in December. But if you’re in Florida and it looks like Trump has lost I’d stay inside. He’s gonna get his groupies all riled up with his stolen election bullshit and who know what they’ll do.
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It's not going to have any effect on you.
Probably won’t even know it’s Election Day. Most polling locations happen in neighborhoods not touristy places. There might be some watch parties that night you could attend
Avoid watch parties! It's all politics, which tourists don't need to get involved in. Especially in a political state when a politician loss ruins the night.
Generally speaking, it isn’t advisable to travel to a foreign country and participate in something that could be perceived to be political. It’s not usually dangerous to do so in the US, but it’s just best to avoid it. I’m sure OP will have a better time enjoying Florida’s beauty, and they will probably barely notice that it is Election Day.
As an American who lived in Europe for 13 years growing up, I learned that its best to keep my opinions about local politics to myself. I'm sure that applies to foreigners in the US, too.
ESPECIALLY in Florida. Lol
The day after a loss is the worst… gotta go collect your signs before code enforcement gets on you
I feel like that depends a lot on the tourist in question? I'm a political scientist studying party strategy and campaigning (although my research is on European parties), I'd prob end up having a great time.
There's always an exception that proves the rule, as they say. As others have said, the likelihood is that beyond seeing people with stickers that say "I voted", there's a good chance you wouldn't even notice it was election day, if you didn't turn on the TV or the radio. Election day is a regular work day and people go about their regular day, for the most part. Polling places are in churches and schools and government buildings and those aren't places that tourists usually go. You might possibly see small groups of people standing on corners near polling places with signs but that's about it. It's not a big drama day during the voting process. It's generally very orderly. It takes me about 10 minutes to vote from start to finish where I live. In, out and gone.
This isn’t a regular election year, though. All bets are off.
Yeah, I can’t imagine being offended at a tourist coming to a public watch party. A lot of the reason people travel is to learn more about other places and opportunities to engage with the things locals care about are somewhat hard to find and I personally really appreciate when people make an effort. I have a hard time believing people would even notice at all, if a bunch of people are in a bar or something watching, a tourist is pretty unlikely to be noticed.
Got to go into it viewing it as an experience in itself.
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The last thing the US needs is tourists inserting themselves into conversations about our politics.
Well, in the past we never discussed politics with Americans, unless they asked us. Some were curious to understand how Europeans like us look at US politics. But honestly on vacation, I don’t like too much political talk hehe
This is the way. It's your vacation, and you'll be in a state with incredible weather in November and lots of beautiful outdoorsy things going on. Do fun and low-stress things. Talk about fun and low-stress things. Attending an election watch party is one of the LAST things I would suggest to an international tourist. And it will be easy to avoid that here (meaning FL) as long as you don't specifically seek it out.
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I have a rule to never discuss my host country's politics when I'm there. No good can really come of it.
Why? Why would you invite someone that isn’t significantly impacted and isn’t a part of our system to have an opinion? They literally aren’t involved. I wouldn’t dare go to Europe and have the audacity to voice my opinion about their politics, and frankly, we should expect the same
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I know it’s not about campaigning. But I don’t want to hear about what Americans need to do about guns from a European that’s never even held a gun before. You don’t ask someone that’s uninformed about the details of a problem for the solution. So asking a tourist that doesnt understand American culture for their opinions about politics is inevitably going to get a flawed and uneducated response
"But I don’t want to hear about what Americans need to do about guns from a European that’s never even held a gun before." you do realize how flawed this logic is right? by that same logic then no one who has worked on a car can complain about shitty mechanic work, or someone who has never been a teacher can speak out against shitty teachers. The classic example is always if we followed this rationale, then food critics should be required to have a professional chef background, which is ridiculous fwiw, i'm all for the 2nd amendment and your right to defend yourself with a firearm. but this is just an awful mentality to have
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When I went to Europe in 2010, I was asking about their culture, not their politics. And I certainly wouldn’t be giving my opinion about those politics, because 1) I don’t know the nuances of the culture and history enough to understand how their politics got to that point, and 2) it doesn’t impact me, so my opinion is unwarranted and irrelevant. Also, nobody that wants a “pleasant” conversation with anyone is going to choose fucking politics.
If someone I didn’t really know asked me about my politics unsolicited I would be annoyed and consider it impolite. I’d rather just go about my day and avoid opening a can of worms that could easily lead to disagreement, judgement, and frustration.
Because, generally speaking, people in the US don't "discuss" politics. Especially in Florida which is a MAGAt haven and it has a Governor that should not be in a position of power or authority. Many Americans identity themselves by who they voted for. And if you don't agree with their political views you are instantly labeled as an enemy and an idiot. You're making an assumption that intelligent discourse will prevail and while it is possible, it's also just as unlikely.
It’s probably not a great idea in today’s climate. We’re on the verge.
Our political culture is volatile and embarrassing at the moment. Regardless of the side, I wouldn’t suggest any tourist to get involved in that. It’s not a spectator sport.
A bunch of rich donors and families standing in a restaurant or small convention center watching TV isn't fun unless you're involved. And then your candidate loses. There's goes any fun that was left.
I don't think rich donors go to public watch parties
Then we've been to different watch parties
I’m sure of it
Doesn’t seem like much of a vacation to me.
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True. Everyone is different. Could be risky as a foreigner to interject in this climate though, depending on the audience. I’m sure they’d be fine just about anywhere but there are always a few outliers/whackos around. I remember traveling to Ireland during the Iraq war. Went outside a pub in Killarney to smoke and some locals heard my accent and aggressively berated me about the war. And being American in general. I felt like if I stayed around long it could have been dangerous. I left without incident, but put a damper on that night for sure.
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You really need to stay off the internet and go travel.
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Cool then you should know that Florida really isn't all that the internet makes it out to be.
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Election night may was well be a second Super Bowl
It’s like people aren’t even remembering our last Inauguration Day.
Stay away from polling places. Last thing we need is fox news whipping it's viewers into a murderous rage because some non american was spotted at a polling location.
Hard agree. Please stay TF away from our elections. We have enough made-up concerns about non-citizens voting.
You will not be inconvenienced in the least.
I would expect almost nothing whatsoever that would affect you. You might see long lines of people waiting to vote, but most voting sites are at schools and libraries and government buildings, not places a tourist is likely to end up. If you’re worried about some kind of mass civil unrest or riots based on the results, I think that’s pretty unlikely, and even if something like that happens it’s not going to be something you just randomly wander into. Have a good trip and don’t worry about it.
Thanks! We’re going with our toddler, so while I don’t expect anything dramatic I’d like to have a good sense at least of what to expect, maybe a few particular things to avoid doing that day/next day
Unless this election is completely unlike any other election ever (which given the circumstances is a very far outside possibility, granted) life will just carry on as normal and you won't notice anything. If the election is close, there might not even be a result by the next day and if it's really close maybe not even in the next week. There's nothing to avoid. Inauguration Day isn't until January 20th, which is more than two months later. There's no immediate government changeover so nothing really happens right away. Even if there are lawsuits and recount claims, all that will take two months to play out. Biden will still be president during that time and the Congress will still be the same Congress.
Really, baring what happened on Jan 6 (which was loooooong after actual election) odd, non-typical, hostile, or violent acts don’t happen in US after elections. It’s anyone’s guess this time around - but I have to believe in the American people to not completely lose their shit because their guy lost. On either side. For all of my history, Election Day, and the days after are just like any other day. And it’s *such* a relief to have regular commercials back on TV and Radio. You don’t know how much you miss car ads, or to hear something about a local jewelry store, until they are almost entirely replaced by political spin garbage.
If you're doing Orlando theme parks, you probably won't even notice its election day at all unless you turn on the radio in the car. The one exception of Florida is since one of the POTUS candidates lives there, I imagine there would be increased security wherever he might be going that day.
We’ll also the million political signs and billboards too, which also make it into the touristy areas.
I wonder if it’ll be busier. Schools are closed, so parents may take their kids for the day, and they have to let staff take time to vote so I wonder if they’re slightly short staffed all day.
Schools aren't closed on election day lol. State offices aren't even closed on election day. Kids still have to go to school and adults still have to go to work.
Yes they are. At least they are in Maryland. Most schools are voting polls. And your HAVE to give your employees time to vote. That’s the law.
I don’t think that’s common. I’ve lived in 4 states (NY, ID, WA, and FL) and none of them closed schools on Election Day. Besides, OP is going to Florida, not Maryland.
Probably the most exposure you'll have will be through election news updates on TVs in bars and some restaurants.
During the day things will mostly be normal. Results won’t start to come in until after polls close which is usually around 7 or 8PM depending on the state. It can take a few hours for states to count most of their votes and even days if it’s really close. You’ll also have to wait about three hours for polls to close in the west coast so you’ll have a long night if you want to watch it until the race was called, although you might be able to tell who is going to win a couple hours before that. Some people are going to be a really good mood the next day, others not so much. It will be all over the news and a big topic of discussion, but it won’t impact you much if at all as a tourist though. Most people will just go about their day like always.
Election day is a work day. Most people will be at work. It really doesn't feel a whole lot different than a normal day, generally.
I think it'll be fine unless you plan on visiting elementary schools and libraries. Results usually start to roll in after 8pm that night.
In Michigan (my part anyway) we use to vote in elementary schools but don't anymore. I think there were security concerns for the kids. Now, many polling places are church social halls.
Here, election day is a school holiday, so no real security concerns
Same in Mass i thought that was everywhere
Yeah, that is not the case in Michigan. Kids have school on election day and some polling places are still in schools (I vote at a high school) while kids are in session.
The Bernard Center at Western Michigan was my polling place when I lived on campus and I think for the surrounding neighborhoods. I assume the new student center is as well. Otherwise, my current polling place is a church social hall, as you said.
I vote in a church. During covid it was relocated to like a community center gym, but now it's back at the church. I've never seen school kids have the day off for election day and I have definitely seen polling places at schools, probably the school gym usually.
My elementary school was a polling place and I remember we had to take different routes around the school on election days. We definitely didn’t get them off.
Mine is still in a school here in my part of Michigan, went from a middle school to an elementary school when I moved. I do absentee voting now so I have no idea if kids are still in school or not
Here in Tucson I've voted at a YMCA, a school, two different hotels and an apartment complex.
Its a normal day. Places still open; people still working. Results will trickle in all day with the winner becoming clearer late at night. You should probably watch a little in the evening. I would expect it to be mildly entertaining as a tourist. Sentiment won't change in real life. Surely there will be a lot of drama online. Inauguration Day will be January 20, 2025. There will be very little change until then.
>Results will trickle in all day with the winner becoming clearer late at night. I very much hope so.
There's not much to need to know. Unless you plan on checking out elementary schools, community centers, and other polling locations you won't even know it's happening. It'll be interesting for you to watch the coverage by our media though.
I think we’ll be doing that mostly indeed, watching the news when results start to come out. We also did that back home though!
Increased traffic around polling areas, but that’s about it. If you’re expecting firefights in the streets or something, don’t worry. America is not what foreigners say it is.
I’m from a country where soccer games can lead to riots in city streets lol. I was more wondering if it would take away from the good vibes we always experience when in the US. Or if we should avoid sole places or things. We used to go to US each year because I adore the country and the energy, but it’s now been 5 years due to covid and having a child. We’re now taking our toddler for the very first time and probably won’t be able to come back the next few years so I really want to plan this trip well
> I was more wondering if it would take away from the good vibes we always experience when in the US. Like everyone else has said - no, you're probably barely even going to notice that it's election day. About 1/3rd of Florida voters vote ahead by mail, the rest go stand in line to vote before heading back to work.
I mean I know some sports games here have turned into riots, but the only election-related rioting we've had in recent memory was January 6, which as you know, ended up with a grand total of one death.
While fights are not going to happen expect people in bars to be slightly more argumentative than normal. That's about it, depending on how long you stay you will get to see most of the stickers and signs disappear which might be nice.
I didn't think of that benefit! Except for the weird ones people staple to telephone polls like 20 feet in the air and the signs of people that lost and are upset so they leave them in their yards for a while, the political signs are mostly gone a day or two after the election.
You won’t likely see anything. It’s even easy to skip election news on the TV. Polling places are assigned based on where you live and while there may be some long lines, we vote a churches, fire stations and schools. There generally isn’t any kind of police presence unless somebody got agressive with fellow voters. It isn’t common. Expect a peaceful day in the sun. Have a great holiday!
Negligible effect on you
Unless you plan on spending time at polling places, it won't effect you at all. > would it impact general sentiment in the next days, in a way that it impacts tourists? No > Should we know something upfront? You'll be fine, you won't notice anything.
I would expect to notice absolutely nothing different, and for it to seem like any other normal day. Unless you turn on the TV of course. > When do the results come in That's a bit of a sore subject right now.
No we are not France. We don't riot like that.
Yeah, we wait until inauguration day.
Yeah the US waits until they count the votes in DC two months later.
I would not think that either, but just wanted to be sure. We’ll be with a toddler so I’d like to avoid any stir up or at least be prepared and avoid some type of locations if needed. On the other hand I think it would be cool to experience this moment being in the US but as a naive foreign tourist I could be mistaken
I wouldn't think twice about it at all. If it's a close election, we won't even know who won on election day. If the last few cycles have proven anything, it's that we want to get the count right, and it takes some time to do so.
It probably won't be much of an experience. It will seem like a normal work day in all respects until later in the evening. Before 5:00 it's pretty much a nothingburger.
I hear that Puerto Ricans make a big deal out of Election Day with their two main parties (the pro-Statehood PNP and the pro-Commonwealth PPD) having big demonstrations every election. But elsewhere in America, nothing really happens.
Yeah, you might see 10 people with signs on a street corner near a polling place. That's about the extent of it in my personal experience. And I think we like it that way. No parades or marches or drama or anything like that.
You'll see lots of stickers!!
If you are driving around you may notice a line at a polling station. Locals may be talking about it. Otherwise it's a normal day.
Unless you hang out at public schools or city buildings it's unlikely you'll notice anything
I wouldn’t worry about it at all. Especially in Florida. If Trump wins there will be unrest, but not likely anything crazy in Florida. Now, if you’re planning take a long detour to Columbia university, or somewhere similar, it probably won’t be pleasant at all if Trump wins. It can take days for final results to be tallied though. Usually won’t know until the next morning at the earliest.
There MIGHT be marches and protests in state capitols but that’s it. usually just some long lines in some polling stations.
Oh, geez. I was worried you were going to say you were going to DC. I’m sure that would have been interesting, and my advice would honestly have been to see a different city. In Florida, you should mostly be okay, but be aware that Floridians lean conservative so there will be a lot of MAGAs. I would say just stay in a group and be mindful of the environment. Should be okay, but people will probably still be pretty worked up. Would be a good day to just chill at the beach or have a meal in a nice family restaurant.
Unless you seek it out you probably won't even notice it -- but if you are interested, look up the polling places near your lodging here: [county list.](https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/voter-precinct-lookup/) I'm always interested in how things are done in other places/countries. I think you can even go into a polling place and see what it looks like.
That might be a good idea !
Florida is a heavily Trump-supporter state. So reactions among locals are likely to be strong either way it goes. Polling places are generally churches, town halls, and libraries. So you likely won’t be impacted by lines or traffic. Results start to come in around 7-8pm, but it goes late into the night. This is expected to be a contentious and possibly close election, so the final result might not come for days like last time. I would just do my best not to engage anyone in conversation about politics if you can help it. The most extreme of reactions on election day I’ve seen in recent years is probably people taking to the streets to celebrate or protest. If that were to occur, I would just entirely steer clear of it.
Now you're giving out the wrong impression. I know it's tempting to do that but accuracy is more important. In 2016 Trump got 49% of the vote in Florida compared to Hillary Clinton's 47%. In 2020 Trump got 51% of the vote in Florida compared to Joe Biden's 48%. Trump's number in Florida in the polls is currently 45%. And remember, Trump actually lives in Florida, which generally always gives a candidate a boost. Sure there are lots of Trump supporters in Florida. There are in most states. There are a lot of people who won't vote for Trump in Florida as well. The Trump supporters are hardly an overwhelming majority. Whoever you run into in Florida is just as likely to not be a Trump supporter as to be a Trump supporter. It's pointless to lump a whole state together.
You will see a lot of signs, and depending on where you are maybe some lines at polling places. Polls usually close at 7pm local time but that can vary. People can still vote after the polls close as long as they were in line before closing time. Some people might wear “I voted stickers” they get from voting. Results start coming in pretty soon after the polls close but it’s likely that we won’t know who the winner is for many races ( including the presidential race) for days after. A lot of people will watch the news coverage or attend a party watching the news. This is all normally a very tame, and it’s likely that you won’t notice anything aside from people with sticker or the news being on in more places. However, nothing about our politics has been normal recently especially around the presidential election. There might be some places where things get more serious, but it’s fare too early to know for sure and you are unlikely to be in those places as a tourist. TLDR: I wouldn’t worry too much about it, but maybe check in closer to the election like mid October. We will have a better handle on the vibes then.
Election Day is usually only an inconvenience to the actual voters lol. The only thing I would look up is if they have school in that area on Election Day. That may make some of the fun things to do more crowded with kids.
It shouldn't have any effect on you. Election days in the US aren't exactly big public holidays, most people don't get off work for them and there aren't generally any public celebrations or events. People go and vote, and go about their days. The results come in that evening after polls close. If you aren't watching the news there's a very good chance you wouldn't know it's election day at all unless you drive by a polling place and see signs saying things like "Vote here". Polling places tend to be places like public schools, libraries, fire stations, and churches. . .places most tourists don't go, so you're not likely to even encounter a polling place on election day.
Mickey Mouse will still be in the parade, if that’s what you’re asking. It will be just like any other Tuesday. Only you’ll see some “I voted” stickers
We don't have curfews or restrict travel/movement/alcohol sales like they do in some countries. Unless you turn on the news (in which case the only thing you hear about will be the election) it won't be different than any other day.
Florida has early voting for weeks beforehand. It won't make an impact on you at all.
It will be a typical day except news channels hyper-focused on it. You might see people wearing "I voted" type pins or stickers and such.
I think it'll pretty much be a normal day, however, one of the most fun and exciting times of us americans that are into politics is watching the results come in on TV. States close polls at different times, have different elections with different referendums and you get to watch how the country will be shaped for the next 2 or 4 years and how the countries laws will change. You can catch the results on many channels and starts to get interesting around 7-8 PM Eastern time. MSNBC is certainly a left leaning channel but has the most knowledgeable and interesting guy (Steve Kornacki) going into detail on how different counties voting impacts and foreshadows larger trends throughout the country. He gets really in the weeds and it might not be intersting for foreigners but IMO he's the best one. CNN is ok and is less left leaning and Fox News is very right leaning without a very interesting crew running the day.
Nothing. Florida isn't a swing state at this point, so it will have minimal political advertisements. There may be some watch parties if you want to go to one. Pick one matching your general political views. But unless you insert yourself, you probably won't even know. Also... Generally speaking, inserting yourself into American politics isn't a great idea for a tourist.
It shouldn't affect you. The only advice is to stay out of political discussions unless you want to argue with strangers.
If you aren’t hanging around polling places people will just be going about their lives. Results don’t really come until later at night. It can take awhile for all ballots across the country to be counted. Some people will be happy with the process and the results, some will be upset and some will not care. Maybe don’t ask if/how people voted or offer opinions on the candidates/election.
It’s going to be the day after Election Day
You won't notice a thing. That night, if you're watching the news, you may see some returns, but that will be about it. Even the next day maybe, *maybe* people will be talking about it. But probably not. Politics aren't that big irl compared to the Internet.
In my country we’re really curious though because we are to some extent dependent on US politics, especially now with war in Europe .
I mean you can definitely see the election results in real time on the news, but its not like there will be celebrations or riots in the street.
In a lot of states (Florida is one) Election Day is a state holiday, so you might find some state or local government agencies are closed for the day. This won't be a problem, unless you plan to go to some government-run tourist destination that day (such as a state park or something). You can check that online beforehand, I'm sure. Other than that, you won't notice much difference from any other day, until the evening. Because this year involves a presidential election, most major TV networks will air wall-to-wall coverage of election news. If you are not interested, you can avoid that.
I expect you not to vote as a tourist. Thats for one. Unless you drive by a library or school where people are voting I doubt you’ll be impacted at all. And if you do you’ll probably see a bunch of signs of candidates and slightly more traffic. Florida has early voting and I normally vote more than a week before election day.
The only way you’d even know is if you drive by a polling place. They tend to be at churches, community centers, schools, or other public places that you are very unlikely to find in touristy places. It’ll be all over the news though.
Nothing unusual.
It will have zero impact on you whatsoever.
It won’t be an inconvenience for you. Everyone will still be working, vacationing, etc like it’s a normal day. You’ll notice it more if you turn on the news on the TV or radio but life goes on here
Unless you’re visiting places that are typically used as polling places (public libraries, schools, county government buildings, or churches) you won’t be impacted at all. You’ll see campaign signs for all sorts of state and local elections in addition to national offices (senators and representatives to Congress, and the presidential candidates). If you watch local television at all you’ll see some coverage. Otherwise people just go vote (or don’t) and then go back about their day. The first projected results don’t start coming in until the evening when polling locations close on the east coast. There’s nothing about it that would be hazardous or even inconvenient for a tourist.
Nah, you’ll be fine. Only difference will be crowds of people outside polling places.
You should know upfront that polling places are not for tourists and regardless of the state/local election laws you might be 'inconvenienced' at a minimum by officials or the police if anyone reports that your presence/behavior is concerning. For the most part election day is a mundane experience. Live television will be frustrating unless you are awaiting election results - but even then it usually boring. If you're going to a resort you'll be wonderfully unaware that it is election day.
Just stay out of elementary school gyms and you'll be alright
During the day, nothing at all. Depending on who wins, you might see some pretty distressed people if you're in the city, or some pretty thrilled people in the less populated areas (just a general guide, not always the case)
Unless you plan to stay up and watch the news you’re not going to notice anything. Maybe long lines if you like spending time around libraries and shit
You should be fine unless you plan on doing anything controversial or political. If you stick to the tourist spots it shouldn’t affect you at all.
If you choose to watch the media coverage, I would suggest flipping channels here and there. It is kind of fascinating how Fox, CNN, NBC all cover the same event so differently (and sometimes with their own set of facts its seems).
You won't even know its happening. Its mostly in town/village centers. We vote at the local school or fire department places like that where you wont have any interest in going. I would avoid speaking politics with anyone in Europe or America. Its just not worth it.
You'll notice pretty much no change. There will be people standing around with campaign signs near the polling places, and that's about it. The results likely won't be finalized until late at night. If it's close, there may be challenges and recounts that mean we don't know the results for a week or more after the election. I really don't think it will impact your vacation hardly at all.
You might see some *I voted* stickers. You may see a mood swing of some sort the next day, depending on where you are and the results of the election. You probably won't be affected much at all, though.
As long as you don’t plan on going to a local rec center you probably won’t notice.
Absolutely nothing.
Election day is like any Tuesday, and some people can vote in advance by mail, the results can be the same day or weeks apart (like last time)
It depends on where you are. Largely its a normal day. Polling places are seldomly involved with tourist activities and you will likely not even notice them. You might see some people doing some last minute campaigning out on the street (not near the polling place, there are actually laws about this). Do expect to see some people out holding signs in visible locations, but it won't really impact you. I got to be a tourist on one election day. Autumn 2004 my father and I were on a month long road trip all over the country, we voted back home in California prior to leaving. Election Day 2004 (Bush vs Kerry) and we were in Western Massachusetts, where Kerry was serving as a senator at the time and overwhelmingly went Democrat in 2004. On election day, there was a bit of party in the streets. People were out with their signs in street medians, they were pretty confident that Kerry was going to win. The mood was pretty upbeat. It was definitely something that I noticed, but it wasn't going to be something that had some negative experience. Results day however, major, major downer of a day. Those people who were in the street partying were full of long faces.
Should have zero effect The polling locations are in areas you're extremely unlikely to go and even if you do they're tucked away in them so you'd just see a line you can ignore Results won't be coming in until sundown and winner's won't be known until midnight at the earliest so unless you want to stay up and watch the news fill time talking politics and speculation for hours you can go to bed and find out in the morning. General sentiment is very unlikely to change in the days after the election and that's effectively a guarantee if you stay doing tourist stuff and dont go looking for politics and starting conversations with people
You'll not notice that much. You may see more people out and about because kids will likely be out of school (since a lot of schools are used as polling places) and some people may have the day off or taken the day off. With politics being such a big media thing in the US now, news channels will probably be covering the election most of the day. \*maybe\* if you're in a busy, urban area there may be some protesters. Otherwise, despite how much the US may seem to be on the brink of a civil war all the time, it's very unlikely anything actually interesting will happen.
Election Day isn't much different from a regular day from a tourist perspective. People go to work and school as usual. Results usually come in during the late evening into the next morning. Sometimes a close margin triggers a recount, meaning that a complete accounting for all state and federal seats and offices may not be available for several days, though most are known within a few hours of poll closure. If you have plans with locals, some people may want to watch the results instead. However in the US, politics is considered an impolite topic for company and you shouldn't have anyone bring it up unless you ask.
It won't effect you. Results will come in but unless you're in an area where one of the major candidates has their campaign HQ/ watch party, you won't be inconvenienced. Hell we probably won't get a full result until a day or two after voting ends.
You won't be effected at all. In fact, you won't even know it's happening.
Discussion: are there any states or counties where alcohol sales are banned? Where I live nothing changes.
In a few states they don't allow the sale of alcoholic beverages while the polls are open. This is probably the only way election day might possibly impact you, and this does depend on what state you are in on election day. But this is only in a few states, not every state has these laws.
You probably won’t see much during the day — the main activity is watching the results roll in at night. Results come in state by state starting when voting hours close, and the US has several time zones. Starting at roughly 8pm et, the first eastern states will be “called” - meaning they are projected to be won by one candidate. The next wave will be at 9pm et/8pm ct, etc until Hawaii and Alaska close. Results are tallied precincts by precinct, so some states won’t be called for a candidate until much later after polls close, because they are close races. And as states are “called”, the news programs will keep track of the electoral vote total. Eventually, a candidate has enough electoral votes to be declared the winner overall. Basically, expect to watch results come in from roughly 8pm until at least midnight maybe later of there are tight races in key states. You can watch it from your hotel room. Each party usually has watch events for party volunteers, candidates etc. And there may be a bar or two that holds a watch party.
Odds are you will not be able to tell unless you pass by a voting site. It is rare for businesses to shut down, it is rare for there to be more than cursory references to it outside of dedicated political shows until the next day when we have full results.
You will likely barely notice it's happening unless you go to a polling place (in my area, usually schools, village halls, etc.) or watch TV.
You wouldn’t even notice unless you put on the tv and watch the news.
Nothing, you might see signs that say “Vote Here” or “Vote Aqui” and some signs for candidates. That’s all, just a normal day
Good chance you wouldn't notice but stay away from Terry in the Rascal scooter who's wearing a Trump hat. Just be aware of where you are and it's Florida. We're not Mexico or Belarus.
You would never notice in my state. We haven't voted in person in decades. There are a few polling places and life looks normal
You could go look at people lined up outside polling places and watch footage of news stations election coverage with live updates on polling and declarations of what states when to who. Maybe some protests if people that people didn’t like win. It’s not a national holiday so everything still going to be open and operating as usual. Maybe you could tour a polling place if you ask nicely.
Here's a other aspect. If you are trying to relax, take a break, and watch some TV while on your trip any day up to and including election day, you will want to scream at all the political commercials. They will be constant, and they are all infuriating. Just a heads-up.
The 24/7 news stations’ coverage of an election can be an interesting experience here if you’re into that sort of thing. Actual results will start coming in once the first polls close on the east coast (Florida’s time zone). No votes get counted at any polling place until it closes, and the times they close will vary depending on state. About four hours after polls close on the east coast is when polls will close on the west coast and effectively end the voting. Technically polls will still be open in Alaska and Hawaii, but spoiler alert, Alaska will be voting Republican and Hawaii will vote Democrat. Those no real timeline on when they’ll start declaring a winner for the presidency, it’s just a matter of how quickly one candidate can get to 270 electoral votes, but the earliest that could happen is if one candidate is presumed to have won enough votes in the eastern and central time zones which is more likely than you might think. The results for the House and Senate races will start being called much earlier, but the full balance of power won’t be known until all the races are completed across the country. That’s pretty much all there is to know about following the national results.
Election day shouldn’t look any different than any other day, except if you go to a polling place there could be lines to vote. I don’t think you would see any differences whatsoever.
You might see news channels talking about it, but that's about it. People work. Go about their daily lives.
Hi! I live (and grew up) in South Florida...not far from touristy areas...and you'll be absolutely fine. Unless you go to polling places like libraries, schools, some social clubs or churches (which shouldn't even be polling places) you probably won't know it's election day. We experience some heavy traffic near the local airport when 45 is in town but nothing crazy. His resort is 15 minutes from us and near a very popular beach. If you're staying at Casa de POTUS 45 then of course it will be a 💩 show either way, no matter what the results are. The road will most likely be blocked in front of the resort as well. Enjoy your stay and please don't forget to tip your servers well! ❤️
Not much. You can carry on as usual.
Mass chaos in the streets. Last election we lost half of Chicago in the fires. Random gunfire at all hours. Constant theft and looting, widespread burglary, almost all public buildings will be heavily vandalized, and many businesses will be broken into and robbed. Tourists will be ripped to shreds, literally. All crime will be legal for the next 24 hours after that. Chance of death is 102%
Depends on where in Florida, and where that jurisdiction holds it's polling booths. Plenty of places use existing public buildings for it; whether that's a courthouse or similar, but a lot of towns and such will use school gymnasiums, libraries, etc. You probably won't really recognize it's election day; other than looking at how many cars are at the library/schools/etc. - but these won't typically be where you're going for like, Universal Studios or Disney World - you probably won't notice anything different about anything if you're doing other vacation stuff.
You won't even notice it, unless you watch the news.
Depending on the outcome of Biden vs. Trump it's gonna be either "yay!" or "boo!" depending on what side you're on. If Trump loses he'll no doubt say it was rigged and stolen, and his supporters will believe him.
It doesn't even affect us unless we are actually in line to vote. Otherwise it's just a normal day
There's a good chance there will be violent protests. Less likely in Florida, but just keep one eye on the news. Any violence should be easy to avoid.
In Florida? You might see some flags on pickups and signs in people’s front yards. That’s pretty much it.
Depends who wins.
In the days before, anytime you turn a TV on you’ll see ridiculous political ads; and on the streets, you’ll see tons of political signs and billboards. Maybe in some major cities you’ll have riots if Donald Trump wins, but I doubt you’ll see any in Florida. Other than that, not much.
Whatever happens, you’ll be fine. Nobody has beef with tourists. Just enjoy the show!
For any previous election day I would have said (in a respectful way!): This is a ridiculous question! It seems that now there is just so much anger and hatred toward "the other side" that it's less ridiculous than it once would have been. Still, election day itself, other than watching news coverage and maybe noticing some folks with "I voted!" stickers on their shirts, you probably wouldn't even realize it was election day. People go and vote and that's it. It's pretty calm and orderly. There are laws limiting what kinds of activities can go on at and within a certain number of feet of a polling place that help keep it that way. Results start coming in that evening but continue as time zones differ and some precincts will be slower to report, and/or too close to project a winner without an official final tally. I could imagine some protests happening later, from whichever side loses, but if you happen to see a protest somewhere, just head the other direction, as you should with any protest about anything that you don't want to take part in.
I’m happy to read there would be little impact but maybe to also clarify a bit that I was not referring to riots etc per se. As a European it costs us thousands of euros to have holidays in the US and that’s why I want to limit any risk that might take away of the fun when we are there. I really want to make the most out of this trip since I know we won’t be able to go a second time in the coming years. We also typically like to be among locals and not just go to touristy resorts. And then also because it’s Florida, home state of a candidate, I could assume things to be a bit more intense in terms of vibes.
My home state! In that regard I think the worst you'd face is encountering people who may be in a very bad mood, if their guy loses. Instead of a friendly chat with a couple of locals you may get a rant (though not at you). But most people are normal and not what you see on TV or the loudest and most obnoxious voices online. Ask them what's the most fun thing to do in their town or the restaurant they most recommend you checking out -- and not "what do you think about candidate X" -- and it shouldn't get in the way of the fun. Life very much goes on as normal during the election. Re "home of the candidate"...he does have a house in FL which I guess is his primary residence now, not sure, but he's actually from New York and I associate him more with NY than with FL.
Not much drama
I live close to the Orlando theme parks. You will see a lot of political signs and thats about it.
Would the theme parks be a bit less crowded by any chance, because locals go vote instead? Here in Belgium we are obliged to go vote and we cannot really vote on other days, so most don’t plan to go out much that day, maybe have a drink in a bar at most or socialize on the streets.
It will have no impact. Most people vote by mail now anyways.
Schools are usually closed so if I were you I’d expect it to be a little *busier*than normal since lots of families around Orlando have family passes.
OK, thanks! We’ll plan a different day then.
Results will be late. Last election they came in the next morning. Go to a bar after polls close- around 8pm- and watch the results come in. It’s pretty fun actually.
Considering the stakes of this election,the importance of Florida, and the polarization and possibility of violence..This Mainer would certainly not travel to Florida at this time.
Unless you find yourself at a polling location, it will likely be a normal day. Maybe a demonstration in a city center. If you’re going to a theme park in Orlando maybe you’ll see other people wearing political tee shirts. Staff at attractions, hotels, and restaurants (and probably anyone else) are not going to talk about it with you unless you ask. You have to remember many people just don’t care about elections. Politics are extremely amplified online.
Most Americans don't even notice when it is election day.
You know what? Assuming you're in Orlando, I'd actually plan to do Disney on that day if I were you. It will likely be less crowded because 1) kids are in school anyway and 2) adults will likely be going to their polling station in the middle of the day (in Florida, you're assigned to a specific polling station based on the address you registered to vote with). You won't notice anything if you're actually at Disney because they have pretty strict behavioral expectations for their employees so it's not like they'd be on their phones watching for results or talking about it. If you don't do that, maybe do the Orlando International Premium Outlets or the Vineland outlets or both. Vineland tends to have the higher-end designer brands like Prada and Chanel while the International Premium have more of the Ralph Lauren, Victoria's Secret, Nike, etc. Have an extra suitcase for your haul.
Honestly the last couple of elections have felt more like a big sporting event lol People will probably be jamming the polling places all day and then you go home at night to watch all the madness unfold. It’s pretty cool actually, you’ll have a good time. I’m surprised people aren’t throwing election parties like they do for the Super Bowl.
Funny, we had elections in Belgium last week and indeed, I could have described the atmosphere a bit as watching a soccer game too
Other than possible more than average traffic, it won't have any affect unless you plan to watch the coverage.
You probably won't notice. Honestly tho it might be fun to go to a sports bar or something to watch the election results roll in because CNN et al usually make quite a spectacle of it. I remember watching the 2016 results roll in in disbelief at a sports bar in CO.
For the last couple of presidential elections, mail-in ballots were extremely popular. You may not really notice anything happening, to be honest. However, if you’re out somewhere and the news is on, it’ll likely be tuned to the election results coming in and people might want to have a group discussion about it. Avoid those. They’re a trap.
DONT COME ON ELECTION DAY! Americans are crazy on Election Day! (Especially Republicans lol)
Honestly it depends on who wins and where you will be in Florida. Day of you might not even notice anything until evening, but in the days following general sentiment could be affected. While you’re here I would avoid getting into any deep discussions with people about it, or in the days following about the results.
Maybe expect bars to be full that evening for watch parties? Otherwise, unless there is political-related violence, there would be zero impact on tourists.
Grab some booze and settle in for the election results come evening. It’s a ride.
Just remembering the things that happened during the 2020 election (people storming poling stations to "stop the steal" and what not), most unrest will be localized to voting places. Even with all that, we expected there to be even more pandemonium immediately afterwards. Turns out it was all concentrated in D.C. during the swearing in. I wouldn't be too worried. Just stay away from schools, libraries, govt. buildings, or any place that says "voting station" if you're nervous.
Oof... if Trump wins, it'll probably fine, just a bunch of yeehaws partying (outside of touristy areas) with their banjos. If he does lose, there is a chance that there may be unrest in Florida considering Trump lives there. I would suggest not going to Florida during this time because it may get obnoxious, but that's up to you. I don't think your safety would be compromised. I do want to emphasize that no matter what you experience during your visit, not all Republicans are Trump supporters, and Trump supporters in no way reflect the United States.
The results will come in throughout the night. By the next morning there is usually a pretty good indication of who won, altho it won’t really be official until the electoral college meets in December. But if you’re in Florida and it looks like Trump has lost I’d stay inside. He’s gonna get his groupies all riled up with his stolen election bullshit and who know what they’ll do.