Norman community members gather for presidential election updates at 4 watch parties on, near campus

On election night, residents across Norman and OU's campus gathered for various election night watch parties to see the ballots counted that would decide the next presidential election. 

Cleveland County Democratic Party

At the NOUN Hotel, Democrats gathered for a watch party hosted by the Cleveland County Democratic Party. Guests met and mingled at tables dotted with blue “Harris-Walz” pins as they eagerly watched television screens showing election updates.

“What is the feel?” Destiny Warrior, Cleveland County Democratic Party chair, considered the question. “Let's see — exciting, joyful, hopeful, inspired.”

Since COVID-19, county Democrats haven’t been able to gather as often as they used to, Warrior said.

“Now that we are able to do that again, we are now coming back together,” Warrior said. “And so this is awesome. We haven't had one in years. We haven’t been able to see, but we're able to see now, and so we're gonna celebrate.”

The Cleveland County Democratic Party office and volunteers have talked to their neighbors about important issues and registered voters, Warrior said. 

“I think voting and civic engagement really just means loving your neighbor, right? And we have to talk to our neighbors and engage with our neighbors. When we work together, we can move things forward,” Warrior said.

Democratic candidates Jacob Rosecrants and Annie Menz arrived at the watch party to announce their reelections to their respective seats in the state House.

Rosecrants defeated Republican Alexander Torvi for the state House District 46 seat. In his speech at the watch party, Rosecrants said every person who has volunteered for his campaign has helped show Oklahomans there’s a “better way” forward. 

Rosecrants said polls showed the race was going to be narrow, but many constituents from doors he knocked on said their top issue was State Superintendent Ryan Walters, whom Rosecrants had been fighting against. His constituents were supportive when he knocked on doors, he said. 

Rosecrants has been critical of Walters, calling him a “clear and present danger to our public schools.”

Rosecrants said he has “a heart of a servant” and truly represents his constituents, regardless of his party’s agenda.

“I don't look at it as winning and losing,” Rosecrants said. “I look at it as these folks want a representative, a true state representative, somebody to go up there and represent them.”

Menz defeated Republican Matt Watson and Libertarian Robert Murphy for the state House District 45 seat.

At the watch party, Menz said Democrats have been anxious since the 2016 election.

“We've had folks here in Norman, in Cleveland County, fight hard, and I see so many of you across the crowd tonight that have put in time, money, effort, prayers, well wishes,” Menz said. “This is all of our wins.”

According to Menz, people voted for her because she is fighting the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s ACCESS Oklahoma plan and Walters.

ACCESS Oklahoma is a $5 billion, 15-year plan that would allow the OTA to construct turnpike facilities through “critical areas” of Norman, including the Lake Thunderbird watershed and the Canadian River Corridor.

“I flipped precincts,” Menz said. “People are listening to our message. When you treat people like the best version of themselves, that's who they start to show up as.”

Sen. Mary Boren (D-Norman) said she is confident some voting trends will change to favor Democratic candidates in certain areas of Oklahoma, but results will vary.

“We're going to see some turnout that reflects where people would like our state to be headed, and we'll see some very determined commitment to more of the radical elements, and that'll be going on at the same time,” Boren said. 

Boren said every vote matters, even in Oklahoma, both in election data but more importantly, on a personal level.

“When they look back at this moment in history, they have a chance to say, ‘I was with the team that wanted to turn the page and move forward with a more promising future,’ or they can say that they were resisting that change, and they were resisting freedom for women and freedom for all Americans,” Boren said.

Jayme Shelton, Cleveland County Democratic Party vice chair, said it’s comforting for Democrats to know they aren’t alone in a predominantly Republican state. 

“When we all come to a room like this, and there's 200 plus excited Democrats — not even just Democrats, we have Republicans here, we have independents, people who know that Donald Trump should not be the president of the United States,” Shelton said. “So it just is good to know that you're not alone.”

Shelton said he encourages young people to get involved in politics because decisions made today will impact both their lives and their children’s lives for years to come.

Mason and Renee Mungle have lived in Norman for 34 years and attended the watch party in support of the Harris-Walz campaign. 

Mason Mungle said the key to upholding democracy is keeping Republican candidate Donald Trump out of the White House, because he doesn’t understand the issues Democrats oppose. He said women’s rights, the economy and health care are his biggest concerns. 

Mason Mungle recalled his dad taking him to county election rallies in elementary school, which taught him the importance of voting. 

Renee Mungle she was “nauseously cautious.” Her top concern is women’s reproductive rights and said a Trump presidency would “ruin” Democrats’ progress in securing abortion rights.

“It’s just that women are so — we're going to win this race for democracy, we are if we all come out and vote — I'm sorry, I’m so weepy about it,” Renee Mungle said with tears in her eyes. “It's just close to my heart.”

Legally Brewed

At Legally Brewed in downtown Norman, around seven people gathered for an election night watch party. ABC played on the television above the counter as the bar’s regulars discussed the electoral process, predictions and results.

Ross Kimes, who had a tablet with a live electoral map on the counter, said he has surrounded himself with like-minded individuals in the event of his worst-case scenario: Trump winning.

“We’re all pretty like-minded here, so it’s either we’re going to be celebrating together or, sadly, if it goes bad, we’d rather be with people that we like rather than sit in the back by ourselves,” Kimes said. 

Alexander Crowley said he previously watched elections with friends from home or online but wanted to watch the 2024 election with friends at the bar.

“This year, I was like, ‘Why not go out to the bar, have a couple of drinks?’ There’s not too much thought behind it,” Crowley said.

OU College Republicans

OU College Republicans invited students to watch the presidential ballot count live at an election watch party in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Tuesday evening.

Over the course of the evening, around 60 students watched the election live coverage from “The Charlie Kirk Show” followed by the coverage from The Daily Wire, while enjoying food and drinks. 

Jesus Villa, a computer engineering freshman, said he attended the watch party to watch the election with a community of people who share his views. Villa said this year’s election is important as the country is divided. 

“I think Trump could unite us,” Villa said. 

Juliana Donaldson, an international security junior, said she enjoys the sense of community the OU College Republicans election party brings. Donaldson pointed out they welcome people of different viewpoints, and she is open to have her opinions changed. 

According to the Pew Research Center, the economy is the top issue for U.S. voters. This was reflected among the attendees of the OU College Republicans election party. 

Villa and Donaldson said the economy is the most important issue for them, and Villa believes Trump can help solve inflation. 

“Our economy is really important,” Donaldson said. “I’m very interested in the tax policy and foreign affairs as well.” 

For criminology junior John Ryder, solving the conflicts around the world is the most important. However, Ryder hopes Trump can be a uniting force and that domestic division will be solved first. 

“I won’t put money on it, but I’m crossing my fingers,” Ryder said. “Hopefully we’ll fix the divide in our own country first.” 

Diana Gedye, professional writing graduate student and member of OU College Republicans, said she finds it disappointing when people refrain from voting.

“It’s super important to vote, and that’s an important part of living in a democracy is just having your voice heard and how every vote counts,” Gedye said. 

Taylor Smith, a health and exercise junior, said illegal immigration, crime rates and high prices are concerning to her. While Smith has shared pro-Republican content on her Instagram account, she said she has received negative feedback, and even death threats, for her opinion. However, she said she will continue to use the platform to exercise her freedom of speech.

“I don’t think you need to dislike someone for their opinion,” Smith said. “I think you can have a respectful debate and share your opinions if you want, but freedom of speech is a right that I have. And I’m going to use my platform how I want to, and they can say what they want to, I guess.” 

Anthony Diulio, OU College Republicans chair, believes there are more conservatives on campus than people think. Diulio said people are afraid of expressing their political leanings for fear of having friends who aren’t agreeing with them. 

Diulio described the turnout as perfect. 

“I wasn’t expecting a full room at 7 o’clock,” Diulio said. “I was expecting for people to come and go.”

Diulio said the enthusiasm could be heard in the room as attendees were discussing loudly. He said they think the election was going to go well for the republican side. 

“Republicans’ spirits are high,” Diulio said. “Spirits are high, attitudes are great. I mean, I couldn’t have asked for a better room and for a better group of Republicans.” 

Oklahoma Votes

On election night, students filled the ninth floor of Dale Tower for the Oklahoma Votes watch party. Along with food, prizes and raffles, students anxiously watched the results of the presidential election roll out. 

Attendees played games, talked among friends and made bets on which candidate would win battleground states with prizes for whoever made the closest prediction.

Mercer Martin, Oklahoma Votes public relations chair, said a lack of friendly civil discourse between students makes these kinds of events important. She said the event is nonpartisan to create a place for students of all political opinions to discuss and watch the election.

“There’s a real lack of civil discourse on campus and just in the general world,” Martin said. “There’s not a lot of nonpartisan spaces that you can come and observe important events without an opinion one way or another.”

Martin said Oklahoma Votes wanted to create a space for all voices to be heard without fear of pushback.

“We came to have a tolerant space of all voices where everyone across campus, of all different opinions, can come together and hang out and watch as one of the most historical elections unfold,” Martin said.

Martin said the planning of the event was long, but a lot of its success was due to Randi White, Oklahoma Votes coalition chair, and the event partners.

Oklahoma Votes event partners are OU’s Informed Citizens Discussion Group, Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, Latinos Unidos, IGNITE, Student Government Association, Black Student Association, Black Undergraduate Law Student Association, OU College Democrats and Students for Local Action.

“We had quite a few partners (who) really brought out their people and helped spread the message,” Martin said. “We got more people than we’ve ever had in the history of OK Votes at the event.

“The turnout was really awesome, and thank you so much to our partners.”

Students in attendance expressed their concern as they anticipated the presidential election results.

Connor Craig, a political science sophomore, is going into election night very nervous. As a queer person involved in political activism, Craig said he thinks the result could be detrimental

“I’m gonna be real. If Trump wins, I’m not sure what’s gonna happen to me,” Craig said. “I’m queer, that’s a pretty good reason to be afraid I would say.”

Craig said while he doesn’t believe his vote holds much weight in the overall outcome of the election, he voted anyway because a large group of people are what make things happen.

“I’m just one guy. One person could do nothing on their own,” Craig said. “Once you get crowds of people, that’s when things happen.”

Jayden Bass, a public health student, said he’s also nervous about the outcome of the election.

Bass believes the consequences of this election will carry on far beyond the next four years. He is particularly worried for the future of the Supreme Court.

“There’s the issue of this Supreme Court,” Bass said. “There’s always a chance that, in order to ensure a longevity of a specific agenda, certain groups could step down and be replaced just for the sake of maintaining a younger Supreme Court that will last longer.”

Bass said he thinks a lot is at stake in this election. Women’s and transgender rights are important issues to him, but maintaining democracy is his greatest concern.

“Democracy itself is at stake. The ability of the government to function without interference from a politically biased Supreme Court is at stake,” Bass said. “Women’s rights are at stake. There’s transgender rights, the rights of any minority group is at stake.”

Shrey Kathuria, community health senior, feels optimistic for the future and for the results of this election. He said he’s excited to see everyone civically engaged.

“It’s important that everybody, regardless of your major, is being involved in our democracy because we are going to be voting for the future we want to see,” Kathuria said. “Regardless of what opinions, political views, political opinion or political candidates you support, it’s important that we are being active and civically engaged citizens.”

Kathuria said he is feeling good about Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of seeing a victory in this election, who he said he supports. He said he is excited that there is a chance for a candidate of his same ethnicity to become president of the U.S.

“Kamala Harris shares the same ethnicity as me, … so (seeing) somebody with the same ethnicity as myself have the chance at becoming the next president of the United States means a lot to me,” Kathuria said. “It means that, hey, the United States presidency is not just meant for white men, anybody who wants to put their mind to it can have a shot at getting to serve as president.” 

Martin said she thinks the U.S. is at a very pivotal moment in its history, and Generation Z has a huge role to play in the changes.

This year, nearly 40 million Gen Z voters hit the polls, many for the first time. Martin said it’s important for the younger generation to vote as they enter the workforce and plan for the next phases of their lives.

“I think it’s important that we as college students about to enter the workforce have a say in who’s going to predict our next four years and the rest of our future,” Martin said. “It’s important that we’re getting civically engaged now to stay civically engaged in the future.”

This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure, Ana Barboza and Ismael Lele. Mary Ann Livingood and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.