In recent days, ballot boxes have been set on fire, businesses have boarded up their windows and the National Guard is reportedly on standby.
In the interviews conducted during the final days before Election Day, most Americans went to the polls with the same thoughts: that their country would be undone and that violence could ensue after the election season is over.
Bill Knapp, 70, a retiree from Grand Rapids, Michigan, told The NYT: “I worry about violence. I’m bracing myself for it, whatever the outcome.”
Chris Glad, 62, from Madison, Wisconsin, said she was suffering from “election fatigue,” adding: “I’ll be so happy when it’s over – I think.”
Cathy Hearn, a factory worker from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, offered a four-word prayer: “God is in control.”