LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Now that one of the most historic elections in American history is in the rearview mirror, we wanted to hear reactions from around the valley.
We asked voters two questions to try and better understand how people are feeling the day after the election:
- What issues drove them to the polls?
- What do they hope to see from the President-Elect over the next few years, regardless of who they voted for?
"It's very important to get out and vote, it always is," Nicole Matson said.
Matson is visiting Las Vegas and said that's what compelled her to vote. As for what she's hopeful for going forward?
"Money," Matson said with a chuckle. "I'm happy to see the economy get back on track."
The economy was the prevailing theme amongst most voters we spoke with Wednesday.
Ivan Rodriguez works downtown, and said he was excited to vote because this election "felt like a big sports game."
"I hope the economy gets better, that people come out and spend," Rodriguez said. "I feel like that's already happening. I looked at home prices today, I looked at the stock market, and for the future it's projected to be up, so that's something I'm excited about."
Local voter Jeff Provost said he's a recent Nevada transplant from California and also cited the economy as a major factor in his vote.
"Affordability, the economy, it really tanked this time, these last four years, or it seemed to have to me," Provost said. "The inflation cost — I'm retired, so everything ran up for me. I'm glad we made a change here."
"I just wanted to vote on a better economy," said Lapaul Lane. "Me being a business owner, I wanted our economy to flourish. The last four years we've been kind of on a wobble side, so I think that being in a position to boost our economy is great for me and other business owners."
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However, the economy wasn't the only issue driving folks to the polls.
"The preservation of our constitution and our democracy," voter John Rosen said.
Rosen actually drove to Las Vegas from Southern California, telling me he visits all the time and figured he needed to get away for a bit while election results were being tallied.
"Because I remember how it was so nerve-wracking in 2016, I just didn't want to be by the TV," Rosen said.
When he found out the election was called for President-Elect Donald Trump Tuesday night, Rosen said he was disappointed but not surprised. Despite that, he said he was still hopeful for something over the next few years.
"I'm hopeful to see that our side — including myself — learns to listen a little more closely to the other side and not take what they're saying for granted," Rosen said.
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Las Vegas voter Yuriel Vega said he felt compelled to vote this year, offering another perspective.
"Seeing that we had two new wars with the Biden-Harris Administration in office, from the Ukraine [War] and the Israel-Palestine War," Vega said. "I'm not one to usually ever talk about this too, which is why I felt the need to go and vote because it felt like my vote did matter."
As far as what he hopes to see in the coming years, Vega said affordable groceries are at the top of the list.
"Other than that, I'd love to see jobs be better, and on top of that I want the whole world to be at more peace," Vega said. "That's a big thing for me."
No matter how they voted, nearly everyone we spoke with said they're glad the election is over, and they're ready to move forward.
"I hope that our country moves forward," Lane said. "With everything from police brutality and racism, I hope our country moves forward from anything that's going to hinder us from taking 100 steps back, instead of 100 steps forward."
