Processed in January of 2017 and March 2019.
Social media campaign by Utah State Univesity Special Collections & Archives.
No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Election Reflections: Collecting Project must be obtained from the
The 2016 U.S. presidential election included the first major party female presidential nominee, former U.S. First Lady, democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, and billionaire U.S. businessman and self-proclaimed Washington outsider, republican Donald J. Trump. The election cycle was especially divisive. The election exposed the depths of a political divide for much of the country and the world.
The election was held on Tuesday, 8 November 2016, and Donald J. Trump was the victor. As the election results began to come in across news and social media outlets, social media "blew up" with personal reflections on the election results. Randy Williams, Fife Folklore Archives Curator in USU Special Collections, thought it important to collect these reflections. Colleagues Jennifer Duncan, department head of Special Collection & Archives, and Liz Woolcott, department head of Cataloging and Metadata Services, agreed. The three worked speedily with many colleagues throughout the USU Library to produce the project and gather reflections.
The social media collecting project was a first for the USU Library. And, the collection organization happened in five hours! From noon until 5pm, 9 November, the key team worked to create a Qualtrics survey to solicit responses, submit and received Utah State University Institutional Review Board approval, create an information website, write a press release, and launch the social media collecting project through social media.
The project launched at approximately 5:15pm and ran from 9 November until 9 December 2016. Contributors to the project were able to do so in under 20 minutes and all online. The first respondent was at 5:46 pm that same day: 31 minutes after the launch. Survey respondents were asked to share their thoughts on the election and had the option to provide additional information about themselves. The information provided in the survey helped the team organize the collection. This information will allow users to see how reactions varied in different locations, between men and women, political parties, etc.
The collection produced 233 reflections. The respondents are from 27 U.S. states and two foreign countries. Although the project received responses from around the world, the Library collected the reflections as a part of its mission to gather the voices and perspectives of members of Northern Utah communities. SCA hopes to do this for coming presidential elections, and possibly state elections. Future researchers seeking to understand the diversity of the political culture of Utah will require more than vote counts. Like tiles in a mosaic, each voice adds shape and dimension to our local, state, and national identity.
The collection includes 233 reflections about the 2016 presidential election results. The respondents are from 27 U.S. states and two foreign countries. The collections were gathered through a Qualtrics survey and harvested and imported into a robust spreadsheet that was rendered into a finding aid and a robust digital collection. Each reflection is presented as a pdf and includes metadata, supplied by the respondent.
The Election Reflections: Collecting Project includes 233 reflections about the 2016 presidential election results. The social media collecting project began the day after the 2016 election as Special Collection curators watched social media "blow up" with personal reflections on the election results. It seemed important to collect and preserve these reflections, and fast. The reflections were gathered through a Qualtrics survey. The reflections are presented as PDFs in this finding aid and in a robust digital collection. The respondents are from 27 U.S. states and two foreign countries.
The digital collection
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Reflection: "I'm very disappointed in the majority of our country for falling for the fear mongoring and not letting their common sense guide them in this election. I'm upset over my parents and family members saying they love me when they have voted someone in office who isn't afraid to strip my rights as a woman and as lgbtq+. I'm frustrated in myself for having so much hope only to feel completely crushed by the results. I can feel my mental health declining as I go down the inevitable spiral of what my life is going to look like now because of who is holding the power over this country."
Reflection: "Well, I will be honest it is the first time I see USA so United I barely saw any difference clearly we are trying to fix our country and we know that by being fixated on details like race, gender or even color we are just creating a wall and we are trying to destroy that to stop a wall of differences being built."
Reflection: "Campus is quiet today, November 6, so I'm listening to hardcore punk at max volume. I'm listening to student reactions and fears, taking note of who missed class so I can check in. Today I'm thinking about Palestine, the Global South, and the diasporic communities that have come here looking to escape imperialist violence only to be vilified for it. My reaction would've been the same no matter who holds office—anti-imperialism is always on my mind. The most disheartening thing about today though is seeing how our deep sense of caring for humanity gets translated into whispered conversations in the hallways. Campus workers are afraid to be heard speaking up, afraid of losing their jobs, and this is a direct result of authoritarian legislation that seeks (and fails) to limit critical thinking. Campus is quiet, but it is not complacent."
Reflection: "Although Trump's victory is very painful to me, it is not surprising. Trumpism can no longer be considered an anomaly either, rather, I believe it is a permanent fixture in American politics. My biggest fears revolve around retracted reproductive freedoms my wife once had access to. In preparation for this election outcome, I had a vasectomy completed in 2023 because I believe the government will quickly pass a national abortion ban once Trump is in office."
Reflection: "I waited in line on Nov 5th, and at 8pm (while still in line) Utah was declared as a red state. While I knew why this had happened and that it was I was still disappointed. That night Trump won the Presidency and I couldn't sleep. I worried about my future. My father is an immigrant and I benefit from Birthright citizenship. I want to be a secondary teacher and while I had always known I would, and had to, be politically objective in the classroom, I was confused on what I was going to be able to teacher and how. I worried about the future of my LGBTQ friends. I worried about being able to afford going to my University as I am already working 30 hours to go to school full time. I was mostly disappointed that Trump won because him being a Predator and a Felon was not a dealbreaker for people. I was disappointed but I made sure to remind myself, this is what the people voted for."
Reflection: "The election was disappointing from the start- not that I thought either candidate was qualified, but I personally don't think someone with 34 felonies and 26 charges of sexual assault should be allowed to run for president. Neither candidate seemed to be in touch with reality- Trump thinking that immigrants are criminals and that they eat peoples pets was crazy to me. It was hypocritical. Also it was disheartening to be told that "my voice matters" and that I need to vote, and after spending almost two hours at the polls, they called Utah an all red state before even counting the votes. Did my voice matters? Or did people just tell me that because it's the American way? I don't know. It all just feels unfair, and things need to improve in this country."
Reflection: "I am extremely happy with how things turned out. Trump and Vance will have the opportunity to make America great after the last four years of poor economy, rampant inflation, and pointless international conflicts. I am hopeful that real change can come about. I'd like to see the USA withdraw support from the Ukraine conflict and from Israel. The southern border must be secured. The previous administration let whoever wanted to come through the border to cross into our country which is extremely worrisome.A focus on American citizens rather than foreign interests is what I hope for over the next four years."
Reflection: "I am very disappointed, though not entirely surprised, by the outcome. The sheer magnitude of the results, however, did catch me off guard. I believe the Democratic "Blue Wall" may not have held due in part to independents and Democrats opting for third-party candidates, potentially driven by discontent with the party's support of Israel and its perceived distance from working-class concerns. I also question how the Republican Party can position itself as supportive of the working class; to me, it feels like a ploy to secure votes without offering substantial benefit. Republican policies primarily seem to favor the wealthy, with data to support this claim readily available. Overall, I am disheartened by what feels like a disconnect between the Democratic Party and its base."
Reflection: "As the country geared up towards this election and I saw more and more content about how it would be the most important election of our lives, I couldn't help but think, "Are they going to say this four years from now? Are we that radioactive as a country, that every four years we're going to be on the edge of instability and chaos, depending on who we elect as our president?" I tried to educate myself for this election, but every source I saw was polarizing. When my husband and I would talk about politics, our opinions contradicted each other at every turn. Thankfully, it never led to any serious arguments. Truthfully, I was going to be disappointed, no matter which way the election turned out. I know that there's no such thing as the perfect candidate, but it feels like the Internet did its job of bringing out the worst in everybody, which made everyone severely unlikeable. Even though I was scared either way, I was excited to vote. Our ballots did not come in time (we had moved), so we had to vote in person. It made me emotional, standing in line, as I saw Americans from all walks of life. We were all there to make our voices heard. No matter what happens as a result of the election, I am thankful for the opportunity (and responsibility) to make my voice heard."
Reflection: "I'm both disgusted and hopeful."
Reflection: "Trump's second election makes me take a look at American, and the values it holds. I consider him a sincere threat to democracy as well as an afront to education, decency, honesty, accountability, and compassion. Now I see those qualities as being undervalued by Americans in favor of (supposed) economic gains for individuals. We are a deeply selfish country and neoliberalism isn't going anyway."
Reflection: "I am astounded, confused and mortified. It almost seems as though the election was hacked by people wanting trump in office. It seemed to me as though Presidential Biden seamlessly handed the campaign over to vice president Harris. Harris chose a fabulous running mate in Tim Walz. Harris rocked the debate against her opponent. People seemed to be excited about the idea of her being president. As a liberal woman, I am afraid that I will be deported. I am fearful for my best friend who is gay. I hesitate to say the election was rigged because that's what the MAGAs thought. If the election was legit, I am alarmed that people in this nation are OK with all the former president has done… Especially the insurrection. I truly fear for democracy."
Reflection: "After Donald Trump was announced the winner the morning after Election Day, my roommates and I gathered in my bedroom, overwhelmed with emotions. We cried together, venting our frustrations, unable to understand what had just happened. How could America choose an unkind, selfish, and hateful man over an intelligent, qualified, and caring woman? Does this country really hate women that much? I can't help but think if Kamala Harris weren't a woman, she would have received far more support. Now, weeks after the results, Trump's cabinet nominees have only furthered my frustration. Each pick feels more unhinged and unqualified than the last. It's like screaming into a void. How does no one else see what I see? How can people listen to Trump's hateful, deceitful rhetoric and think, yes, this is the man I want leading us? It feels like a betrayal that the "economy" is valued more than morals, kindness, justice, or the lives of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color. Trump stands on his podium and speaks hatred and lies. His supporters either love it or plug their ears to the truth. This was my first election as a voter, and I made sure I was informed. I watched debates and rallies and researched policies so that I could understand the full picture. Kamala Harris was, to me, a far better candidate in every conceivable way. She was intelligent, well-spoken, and compassionate, the opposite of Trump. I can't understand how others don't see this contrast. Did they do any research? Do they not care? Or worse, do they actually like who he is? This isn't just political, it's personal. It feels like a wake-up call that America was never as safe as I thought it was."
Reflection: "Living in Utah I should be used to being disenfranchised now. But I was still quite disappointed with the results of this year's election. I can only chalk it up to the lack of engagement by the general public and the demise of print media. I feel like many people are not using critical thinking skills and not politically engaged enough to discern actual facts from rhetoric and gaslighting."
Reflection: "At first I was shocked, but I am now resigned. I am worried about effects on the environment, the lack of effort on climate change and the effects on vulnerable people in this country. I am concerned about the readiness for a potential avian flu pandemic under this administration. It is easier to break things than to build things and I hope too much does not get broken."
Reflection: "I fear that my country has taken a turn towards a fascist approach to governing. Hatred and fear have replaced kindness and friendliness. We have evolved into a population primarily concerned with selfish interests rather than collective interests. Movement towards environmental safety, women's health and freedoms, school safety, and education have been crushed. I fear that free and fair elections are gone forever."
Reflection: "I fear that my country has taken a turn towards a fascist approach to governing. Hatred and fear have replaced kindness and friendliness. We have evolved into a population primarily concerned with selfish interests rather than collective interests. Movement towards environmental safety, women's health and freedoms, school safety, and education have been crushed. I fear that free and fair elections are gone forever."
Reflection: "I was sure that it would turn around. I kept reminding myself to be patient, and I tried to get some sleep. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning. I saw that they had called the presidential election at about 5:30 a.m. I sobbed. I was shocked, in disbelief. How could my fellow citizens have voted for someone who went so strongly against the principals in our foundational documents. Establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and ensure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, would he even try to do any of those? In the days after the election, feelings of dread consumed me. I put on a mask for work, but I fear for the transgender people I love. I fear for the people I care about who have disabilities. I fear for all the women of childbearing age. The heaviness and grief I felt is not sustainable long-term, so I have decided to do what I can do, and try not to worry about the rest."