In Harris’s home of California, voters weigh economy, reproductive rights | US Election 2024 News

San Francisco, California – Beneath a gold-leaf dome in downtown San Francisco, the standard procession of marriage ceremony events tiptoed out of Metropolis Corridor with freshly minted marriage licences.

However there was a rival line stretching down the steps for a distinct motive: Californians had arrived in droves to take part within the pivotal 2024 United States election.

This 12 months’s presidential race was wealthy with symbolism for the San Francisco Bay Space. One of the 2 main candidates, Democrat and Vice President Kamala Harris, considers the Bay Space home.

She was born in close by Oakland. Raised in neighbouring Berkeley. And, in San Francisco, she constructed a status as a prosecutor that noticed her rocket up the political ladder.

First, she was elected town’s district legal professional, serving in Metropolis Corridor from 2002 to 2011, steps away from the legislation college the place she acquired her diploma.

Later, she turned the state’s legal professional normal after which its senator within the US Congress.

California is named a Democratic stronghold, half of the “blue wall” of states that constantly vote for the occasion.

And because the most populous state within the nation, California boasts a whopping 54 Electoral School votes. Al Jazeera spoke to voters exterior Metropolis Corridor on Tuesday to grasp what was motivating their votes this election cycle.

Anjali Rimi campaigned on election day to assist incumbent Mayor London Breed [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]

Anjali Rimi, social service employee

Standing within the shadow of Metropolis Corridor’s towering 94-metre (307-foot) dome, Anjali Rimi hoped to encourage different voters to re-elect Democratic Mayor London Breed to a second time period in workplace.

However the wider normal election likewise weighed closely on Rimi’s thoughts.

“At all levels — federal, state and the city of San Francisco — what’s at stake is democracy,” Rimi informed Al Jazeera.

“What’s at stake is the lives of immigrants. What’s at stake is the lives of minority-religion individuals, like myself, or many of my Muslim, Sikh, non-white, non-male, non-Christian people who must be protected on this nation.

“What’s at stake is the fundamental rights of every human being in this world that sometimes we tend to not see right here in the United States of America. And hence, this election is historic on so many fronts.”

Rimi’s phrases echoed critics’ considerations about Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate and former president identified for nativist rhetoric.

When requested why sure voters within the US don’t see these elementary rights, Rimi was unequivocal.

“You need to give and attribute rather a lot of that to white supremacy. It could not look white all the time, however privilege and those who have a place proceed to wish to conquer and lead and brutalise this world, Rimi mentioned.

“Hence, we don’t see the struggles of those that are at the margins — the many of us who have come to this country to make it our home and are just trying to live a happy and peaceful life with our families but still have a connection back to our homelands.”

She added that she hoped to “protect Black and woman leadership” this election cycle.

Melanie Mathewson wears a T-shirt that reads, ‘We are not going back’ [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]

Melanie Mathewson, 26, political advisor

The choice to finish the Supreme Court docket precedent Roe v Wade in 2022 was a distinguished theme on this 12 months’s presidential race.

On one hand, former President Trump campaigned on how his choices whereas in workplace helped pave the way in which for the repeal of federal protections for abortion care.

“For 54 years, they were trying to get Roe v Wade terminated. And I did it,” he mentioned in January.

In contrast, Harris has campaigned on restoring entry to reproductive healthcare. “When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law,” she informed a marketing campaign rally earlier this 12 months.

That debate helped encourage Melanie Mathewson’s vote within the normal election.

“What’s driving me on a federal level is women’s rights,” she mentioned. “I would love to have children one day, and I want to make sure, no matter where I live or where they choose to live, they have access to whatever healthcare that they need for their bodies.”

She additionally gave a nod to the anti-transgender, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that has turn into a frequent matter within the Trump marketing campaign.

“Whether I have children who are transgender or I have children who are gay, I want them to feel comfortable and protected no matter where they live in this country, not just in California,” Mathewson mentioned.

“I’m also very concerned about my Black and Brown friends and my friends who have immigrant parents who are not citizens, who are just trying to make their way.”

Christian nationalism, she added, was serving to to form many of Trump’s insurance policies.

“With the possibility of Christian nationalism becoming the way that we rule our country if Trump wins, I’m afraid that there is not going to be freedom of religion, freedom over our bodies,” she mentioned.

Matt Fitzgerald and Maddie Dunn advocated for small companies on Election Day [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]

Maddie Dunn, 23, and Matt Fitzgerald, 28, campaigners

The shuttered storefronts that line downtown San Francisco had been high of thoughts for Maddie Dunn and Matt Fitzgerald, who hoped Election Day would deliver excellent news for small companies.

They hoped that poll initiatives in San Francisco would end in decrease taxes and allowing charges for native firms.

Town’s inhabitants plummeted by almost 65,000 residents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and companies took a punch because of this.

“San Francisco’s had the slowest COVID recovery in North America,” Fitzgerald mentioned. “We’ve got a lot of problems here in our downtown, with empty office spaces, closing small businesses and things like that.”

Dunn defined that her father was a small enterprise proprietor, and the downturn left her frightened.

“This is an issue that you can really see day to day: How well is your corner store doing? Or your coffee shop? And in San Francisco, the answer is that businesses are recovering, but they’re still struggling from decreased foot traffic, really slow margins,” she mentioned.

Each she and Fitzgerald, nevertheless, indicated that they might throw their assist behind Harris, who has promised to spice up start-ups, regardless of scepticism from the proper.

“She understands how important small businesses are to our communities. And with her economic plan, when it comes down to it, she has the approval of experts,” Dunn mentioned.

Fitzgerald, for his half, warned that Trump represented a risk to US democracy, pointing to his actions on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

“I think the candidates could not be more different,” he mentioned. “I mean, you have one candidate, our former president, who literally tried to overthrow our democracy on January 6th, and you have a candidate who is pro-democracy, who is pro-women’s rights and is pro-LGBTQ rights.”

This election, he added, might be “a huge fork in the road”.

Jennifer Fieber held up copies of the ‘Pissed Off Voter Guide’ on Election Day [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]

Jennifer Fieber, 51, member of San Francisco Tenants Union

For many years, the San Francisco Bay Space has been within the grips of a housing disaster.

Housing costs are unaffordable for a lot of residents. Rental prices have ticked up. And a January 2024 report from town authorities estimated that homelessness impacts at the very least 8,323 residents — a probable undercount. Greater than 20,000 sought help for homelessness over the course of a 12 months.

Jennifer Fieber, a member of the San Francisco Tenants Union, pointed to the disaster as the principle motivation for her vote. She indicated that she could be supporting progressive candidate Aaron Peskin in his race for mayor.

“Tenants are 64 percent of the city,” Fieber mentioned. “I think if you stabilise their housing, it has a profound effect on the working class and the ability of people to live in the city. So we need candidates that are gonna protect tenants.”

She defined that top housing costs had been forcing important employees like nurses and lecturers out of town.

When requested which candidates had put ahead platforms to handle the difficulty, Fieber responded: “Actually, I think that they have been ignoring it to their detriment.”

That features on the nationwide scale, she added. “I support the Democrats, but they don’t really have a housing policy.”

Joshua Kelly hopes to make sure a neighborhood freeway stays closed as the consequences of local weather change turn into extra obvious [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]

Joshua Kelly, 45, stay-at-home dad

For homemaker and stay-at-home dad Joshua Kelly, the roadway that traces San Francisco’s Pacific Coast was a motivation to get out the vote.

That four-lane highway, generally known as the Nice Freeway, was closed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, to permit for outside recreation. Residents like Kelly hope it stays closed, significantly because the freeway faces the ravages of local weather change.

“Our plan [is] to turn a coastal highway that’s falling into the ocean into a park and promenade for the whole city,” Kelly mentioned.

He argued that the stakes are greater than simply the destiny of a highway.

“What kind of a city do we want to be? Do we want to be a city that acknowledges and embraces climate change and plans for it?” Kelly requested. “Or do we want to be a city that prioritises polluting, climate-change-causing car travel and the convenience of that above everything else?”

He credited outgoing President Joe Biden with taking some steps to handle the local weather disaster.

“Joe Biden was able to, through the Inflation Reduction Act, create one of the biggest pieces of climate legislation. And we’re seeing a lot of renewable energy come out of that,” Kelly defined.

However he warned that continued activism could be essential to preserve the difficulty on the forefront of nationwide coverage, regardless of the result on Tuesday.

“I think we’re part of a coalition that’s going to put pressure on Kamala Harris to do that if she is elected as well. And if Trump gets in, he’s going to push fossil fuels. He’s going to end subsidies for renewable energy. He’s going to send us backwards.”

Kelly additionally feared the violence Trump may spark if he refuses to simply accept a defeat at Harris’s arms.

“I am concerned about the potential for violence,” Kelly mentioned. “If the election becomes sort of contested, there is a good chance that the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court would conspire to give the election to Trump, despite him losing the votes in the Electoral College.”

Voters solid their ballots exterior San Francisco’s Metropolis Corridor on November 5 [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]