Tuesday, Nov. 5, is the last opportunity to vote in the election that will decide local elections such as school board members, county elections supervisors and district judges, as well as state representatives, constitutional amendments and – of course – the next one. president of the United States.

The last year has been marked by fear and anxiety on all sides of the political spectrum. Carlos Curbelo, a former Republican congressman from South Florida, and Stephanie Murphy, a former Democratic congresswoman from Orlando, discussed these concerns with Tom Hudson on The Florida roundup.

Fear and anxiety about who will win

Curbelo said there are multiple reasons why tensions are high throughout this election season.

“I think this is the first election in a long time where there is no consensus on the winner. Looking back at 2020, there was some consensus in the polls that President Biden was likely to win. In 2016, Hillary Clinton was expected to win. However, this was ultimately not the case, but before the elections, citizens were rather confident about the outcome of this project.”

“So this is the first election in a long time, maybe since 2000, where we really don’t know what’s going to happen. The other reason there is so much anxiety is that politics has become too important in people’s lives. It has almost become a matter of life and death.

The political polls have been everywhere, and like polling experts explainedare less about actually predicting outcomes than capturing snapshots of public opinion at particular times.

Trust the electoral process

Murphy said one reason it’s easy to sow misinformation is that each state counts its ballots and reports the results differently.

“So it’s easy for someone in one state to turn to another and say, ‘Hey, this doesn’t look good.’ Is this fair? Or is someone cheating? ” Murphy said. “When in reality, that’s exactly how this state conducts its elections. So I think it’s important to be patient with the process.

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She said the other thing missing in politics today is trust in the system.

“There is a system that allows candidates to request a recount if the race is close,” Murphy said. “There is a process through the court system. If someone thinks there was a criminal act, they can appeal to the courts, and the courts can decide. But once all of those avenues have been explored and successful, I think we, as Americans, must accept the result, whether our candidate won or not.”

Social networks are also full of accusations of electoral fraudsome of which were allegedly fueled by some lawmakers and former President Donald Trump. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis accused abortion rights activists of forge signatures of dead people or people who did not support abortion, on petitions to get Amendment 4 on the November ballot.

“We have already seen a number of examples during this election of different operatives and people on social media trying to spread lies about ballot tampering or manipulation. All of that has been disproven,” Curbelo said.

The allegations have real-world consequences. Hundreds of the ballots were destroyed or damaged in the fires started last week at the ballot boxes in Oregon, Washington and Arizona.

A Florida man was also arrested and charged with a crime after police said he threatened two Kamala Harris supporters with a machete as they campaigned outside an early voting site in Florida.

Curbelo also said that what helps nurture trust is accepting people as they are, and not demonizing each other because of different political views.

What can I do besides vote?

“Obviously the most important thing we can do in a democracy is vote, and there are other ways for citizens to share their views,” Curbelo said, highlighting calls from listeners during live show “The Florida Roundup.”

“Obviously, there are social networks. You can talk to your friends and neighbors, so that we are not powerless against candidates or individuals who we perceive as dangerous or a threat to democracy.”

A “symptom of a sick society”

Curbelo said if someone legitimately feels threatened during a political discussion or interaction with someone, they should call local authorities. But security concerns aside, he said people need to learn to be less polarizing in how they perceive people with different political views.

“We have become a more violent society. People don’t see each other as adversaries or having different views,” Curbelo said. “They see each other as good or bad depending on their political positions. And it’s just very, very unhealthy. It is a symptom of a sick society.

Responding to a caller comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, Culbero cautioned voters about how they criticize political opponents.

“To say that Donald Trump attacked our democratic institutions is accurate, and there is a long history that reflects this. Comparing him to Adolf Hitler, I think, goes way too far, is counterproductive and harms our national discourse,” Curbelo said.

Moving forward together

Curbelo and Murphy now both work for Coalition for the Middle Aislean organization that claims to be a “beacon of hope and unity” in an “age of hyperpartisanship.”

“It’s very clear that the country is divided, and that’s why we take our work with the Center Aisle Coalition so seriously, because we need to heal. We need to close this gap, and if that is going to happen, we need a civil society with organizations and groups prepared and empowered to do it,” Curbelo said.

Murphy emphasized that no matter who wins the vote for president and who is elected at the state, county and city levels, we all have to live with each other.

“What you can say on the other side of this election is that no matter who wins, the relationship you have with these people remains a human-to-human, friend-to-friend, American to American. …and that we’re going to move forward together, because we really have no other choice,” Murphy said.

This story was compiled from an interview conducted by Tom Hudson for The Florida Roundup.