This year's US election campaign focuses on seven “swing” states that are key to the results of the upcoming US presidential elections. Their inhabitants are aware of how high the stakes are.
– Poland! I'm half Polish, says Howard Seiler, a resident of North Carolina. – Nice to meet you – he adds. We meet with Howard at the historic Presbyterian Church in Marshall, North Carolina, where he belongs and where he works to restore the place to its former condition after the hurricane. – I hope so – he replies when asked if people will go there to vote.
He says that until now he was registered as an independent voter. He kept his distance from politics. – That's what we need. Many voices – emphasizes Howard Seiler. Now that Donald Trump has emerged, he says, the stakes are too high. – It's too much for me. This man must go, he is bad for humanity, says Howard Seiler.
North Carolina is still dealing with the effects of the hurricane. At the same time, it is one of the key states in the electionsArleta Zalewska/Fakty TVN
“The concern is not only about what will happen here”
– Of course I will vote – says Chad Adamowski, a resident of North Carolina and owner of a tattoo studio. Chad is also of Polish origin and is also an independent voter who does not declare his affiliation to any party, but says what is at stake for him in these elections.
– National security, but also international security, more important than everything else – points out Chad Adamowski. The issue of security, but also women's rights, the issue of equality and the lack of acceptance of lies and manipulation. These are the issues we hear from Kamala Harris' voters during our journalists' meetings in various places and states – from New York to Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina to Georgia.
– This isn't about us. This is about our children and grandchildren, says one resident of Henryville, Pennsylvania. – And it's not just about our country. It's about the whole world – another resident echoes him. – The concern is not only about what will happen here, but what impact it will have internationally – we hear.
“Even with all the division and misinformation, it's very clear who we should vote for,” said Steve, a student from Ashville, North Carolina.
Facts from October 28, 2024. Arleta Zalewska about the elections in North CarolinaFakty TVN
What does the slogan “Make America Great Again” mean to nationalists?
On the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, we meet Will, for whom this will be his first election.
It was on the streets of Charlottesville seven years ago, during the largest clashes and riots in several decades between nationalists and representatives of fascist organizations with the police and counter-demonstrators, that Heather Heyer, a representative of the left-wing movement, died – after James Alex Fields Jr., also known as as a supporter of fascism.
– They came here to spread aggression. They had T-shirts with the word “Trump” and flags with the words “make America great again”, because this slogan “great again” for many of these people means to make it white again, to put us on a pedestal again. This is absurd. This country was built on the promise that everyone is welcome. It's written on the Statue of Liberty, notes Willem Brikkenaar van Dijak, a Virginia resident for whom this will be his first election.
Main photo source: TVN24