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Years ago I volunteered on election day outside a suburban Detroit polling station at a majority Black precinct, speaking to voters about an renewable energy ballot proposal.

I spoke to one man trying to vote before work. He arrived an hour before his shift, but the wait was already too long. Returned on his lunch break only to turn around after seeing the still long line. He got back in line after 5 PM. When I saw him checking the time an hour later and quietly heading to his car, I asked him why he had to leave again without casting his vote - it was obviously important to him. His child’s

In early 2016 I was out with some colleagues and one of them said, “We elected Reagan twice, Trump could win.” I chuckled and said “OK, boomer” to myself.

Welp...

As my friend, Neil, recently wrote, everything we thought could happen under a Trump administration has. And then some.

So this year I’ve knocked wood. I’ve thrown the salt over my shoulder anytime someone has said “he can’t win, right?”. I’ve gone outside, turned around three times, and spat and cursed every time I’ve slipped up. I’ve even hoped for a bird to poop on my shoulder (it’s a good omen, look it up). And I work for an

Neil Bhaerman is a Clean Water Action member and former Clean Water Action phone canvasser and Communications Manager. He currently directs communications for the Ohio Federation of Teachers.

I’m sorry. Four years ago, the week before the 2016 election, I wrote this, a look into a possible future where Donald Trump wins the election. While I can’t guarantee that I‘m accidentally responsible for manifesting the results of the last presidential election, it’s definitely a possibility.

Sadly, the future that I imagined wasn’t hyperbolic. If anything it understated the damage that could be done