'Accusations would be flung about his votes being stolen. He'll say dead people were voting from the grave.'
Payal Singh Mohanka reports on the mood ahead of the US presidential election.
Like in 2020 this time too, a hugely divided nation goes to the polls and once again it is 'too close to call'.
With just days to go before the 2024 US presidential polls, as a visitor from India I soak in a variety of voices.
Some animated, some reflecting quiet resignation bordering on apathy.
As an Ohio resident says, "One candidate will win, the other will complain. Our lives will go on."
The reason for the apathy: The two candidates locked in combat for the highest office in the land, the Republican Party's Donald J Trump and the Democratic candidate Kamala Devi Harris.
As Trevor Morris, a New Yorker, says, "I am not a fan of either candidate, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Trump we have been exposed to so we know what he is all about."
Trump's critics see him as racist and divisive under whom the US has become a place of anger and hate.
"They are not listening to the substance of what he is saying, they are not fact-checking anything he is saying. They are just going along for the ride because it is so entertaining," elaborates Morris.
"He is a showman who has embraced the world of the politician which is dangerous because he knows how to manipulate his base to do whatever he wants them to do.
"He is like the snake oil salesmen of the 1800s. They would go from town to town duping people by selling fake potions that never cured them.
"Similarly his voters believe he is the only one who can save this country.
"Harris, I can't put a finger on it, but her personality doesn't inspire confidence. I really don't feel like voting."
Harris' victory will make history. But her critics ask what is she running on? What are her policies?
She wasn't elected as a candidate, she was catapulted into the position.
Others say they would vote for the lesser of the two evils. Trump, they add. has been found guilty of 34 felony counts.
Is the US ready for a woman president?
A New Yorker says, "I am fine with it. But 100% there is a degree of misogyny. This country is very male-dominated especially in politics.
"I don't know if a lot of men want a woman being in charge and a woman of colour at that.
"It could be a bitter pill to swallow for some men, and some white women too."
Others feel the US is ready for a woman at the helm.
A hotelier in New York, Elvis Galeano says, "Having Harris as a vice-president started it and then it segued into her now standing for President.
"America has an obsession with old white men. They probably won't be able to drive a car, but are given the authority to start a nuclear war."
Watching President Joe Biden's deteriorating health on stage has been very painful for his party's supporters.
Like four years ago, families are once again sharply divided.
A Baltimore resident says her husband is a staunch Trump supporter and believes the country is not ready for a woman President, while she vehemently disagrees, "I think we are ready for a woman President.
"Kamala Harris needs a chance to prove herself and she has been in politics long enough to take this challenge.
"With her political experience as vice-president she can definitely run this country.
"My 18-year-old daughter feels Trump generates hate. She will be voting for the first time and is all for woman power!"
Allegiance to certain politicians can create fissures in relationships.
A lady who grew up in the suburbs of Seattle says, "I don't talk politics. I have lost friends."
I am from India, I know the feeling I respond.
A friend in North Carolina, one of the seven swing states that play a crucial role in determining who the winner will be, was raised in a family of Republican supporters and she too always voted for the party till Trump appeared on the scene.
She confessed she was recently shell-shocked to learn that one of her closest friends was volunteering at a Trump rally.
That was enough reason to put a strain on the friendship!
Interestingly, the voting system here is different.
A resident of Washington state explains, "In a presidential election your vote counts, but not in the way it should.
"Your vote really counts when it comes to your local government officials, your representatives, your mayor, your governor.
"But when it comes to the presidential vote, it is all determined by the electoral college."
Every state has, depending on the size of its population, a number of electoral college votes.
Whichever candidate polls more votes in a particular state wins the entire electoral college of the state.
So even if you have lost the popular vote on a national level, you can still get to become President, as it happened with Trump in 2016 when he was pitted against Hillary Clinton.
One of the fears of Trump's return would be the immigration issue including H1b visas.
As a Seattle-based software engineer says, "The last time there were worries about H1b visa processing a bunch of technology companies began using Canada as a staging ground for employees waiting for their H1b visas to be issued. And they would cross over once the visa was granted." Trump's return may spark these fears again.
If Trump loses there are predictions of riots. 2020 showed he was graceless in defeat.
His critics say, "Accusations would be flung about his votes being stolen. He'll say dead people were voting from the grave. 100% he'll throw a tantrum!"
And as what is seen as the world's most powerful nation goes to the polls, there is a sense of apprehension.
Trevor Morris, sums up, "The future does not look bright. The Democrats are too far left, the Republicans are too far right.
"There are certain things on either side that are just too extreme.
"There are important issues at stake: The economy, immigration and women's reproductive rights.
"We need to come back to the middle and work with each other."
Challenging times lie ahead for whoever emerges the winner on November 5.
There are fears that the decision of the voters may be contested and a legal battle could ensue before the process of healing a fractured nation begins.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
