In Harris’s home of California, voters weigh economy, reproductive rights

San Francisco, California – Under a gold-leaf dome successful downtown San Francisco, the accustomed procession of wedding parties tiptoed retired of City Hall with freshly minted matrimony licences.

But determination was a rival enactment stretching down the steps for a antithetic reason: Californians had arrived successful droves to instrumentality portion successful the pivotal 2024 United States election.

This year’s statesmanlike contention was affluent with symbolism for the San Francisco Bay Area. One of the 2 large candidates, Democrat and Vice President Kamala Harris, considers it home.

She was calved successful adjacent Oakland, raised successful neighbouring Berkeley and, successful San Francisco, she built a estimation arsenic a authoritative that saw her rocket up the governmental ladder.

First, she was elected the city’s territory attorney, serving successful City Hall from 2002 to 2011, steps distant from the instrumentality schoolhouse wherever she received her degree.

Later, she became the state’s lawyer wide and past its legislator successful the US Congress.

California is known arsenic a Democratic stronghold, portion of the alleged “blue wall” of states that consistently ballot for the party.

And arsenic the astir populous successful the country, the authorities boasts a whopping 54 Electoral College votes. Al Jazeera spoke to voters extracurricular City Hall connected Tuesday to recognize what was motivating their votes this predetermination cycle.

Anjali Rimi campaigned connected predetermination time to enactment incumbent Mayor London Breed [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]

Standing successful the shadiness of City Hall’s towering 94-metre (307-foot) dome, Anjali Rimi was hoping to promote different voters to re-elect Democratic Mayor London Breed to a 2nd word successful office.

The wider wide election, likewise, weighed heavy connected Rimi’s mind.

“At each levels — federal, authorities and the metropolis of San Francisco — what’s astatine involvement is democracy,” Rimi told Al Jazeera.

“What’s astatine involvement is the lives of immigrants. What’s astatine involvement is the lives of minority-religion people, similar myself, oregon galore of my Muslim, Sikh, non-white, non-male, non-Christian folks who request to beryllium protected successful this country.

“What’s astatine involvement is the cardinal rights of each quality being successful this satellite that sometimes we thin to not spot close present successful the United States of America. And hence, this predetermination is historical connected truthful galore fronts.”

Rimi’s words echoed critics’ concerns astir Donald Trump, the Republican statesmanlike campaigner and erstwhile president known for nativist rhetoric.

When asked wherefore definite voters successful the US did not spot those cardinal rights, Rimi was unequivocal.

“You person to springiness and property a batch of that to achromatic supremacy. It whitethorn not look achromatic always, but privilege and those that person a presumption proceed to privation to conquer and pb and brutalise this world, Rimi said.

“Hence, we don’t spot the struggles of those that are astatine the margins — the galore of america who person travel to this state to marque it our location and are conscionable trying to unrecorded a blessed and peaceful beingness with our families but inactive person a transportation backmost to our homelands.”

She added that she hoped to “protect Black and pistillate leadership” this predetermination cycle.

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

Melanie Mathewson, 26, governmental consultant

The determination to extremity the Supreme Court precedent Roe v Wade successful 2022 was a salient taxable successful this year’s statesmanlike race.

On the 1 hand, erstwhile President Trump campaigned connected however his decisions portion successful bureau helped pave the mode for the repeal of national protections for termination care.

“For 54 years, they were trying to get Roe v Wade terminated. And I did it,” helium said successful January.

By contrast, Harris has campaigned connected restoring entree to reproductive healthcare. “When Congress passes a measure to reconstruct reproductive state nationwide, arsenic president of the United States, I volition proudly motion it into law,” she told a run rally earlier this year.

That statement helped animate Melanie Mathewson’s ballot successful the wide election.

“What’s driving maine connected a national level is women’s rights,” she said. “I would emotion to person children 1 day, and I privation to marque sure, nary substance wherever I unrecorded oregon wherever they take to live, they person entree to immoderate healthcare that they request for their bodies.”

She besides gave a motion to the anti-transgender, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that has go a predominant taxable successful the Trump campaign.

“Whether I person children who are transgender oregon I person children who are gay, I privation them to consciousness comfy and protected nary substance wherever they unrecorded successful this country, not conscionable successful California,” Mathewson said.

“I’m besides precise acrophobic astir my Black and Brown friends and my friends who person migrant parents who are not citizens, who are conscionable trying to marque their way.”

Christian nationalism, she added, was helping to signifier galore of Trump’s policies.

“With the anticipation of Christian nationalism becoming the mode that we regularisation our state if Trump wins, I’m acrophobic that determination is not going to beryllium state of religion, state implicit our bodies,” she said.

Matt Fitzgerald and Maddie Dunn advocated for tiny businesses connected Election Day [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]

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

The shuttered storefronts that enactment downtown San Francisco were apical of caput for Maddie Dunn and Matt Fitzgerald, who hoped Election Day would bring bully quality for tiny businesses.

They hoped that ballot initiatives successful San Francisco would effect successful little taxes and permitting fees for section companies.

The city’s colonisation plummeted by astir 65,000 residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and businesses took a punch arsenic a result.

“San Francisco’s had the slowest COVID betterment successful North America,” Fitzgerald said. “We’ve got a batch of problems present successful our downtown, with bare bureau spaces, closing tiny businesses and things similar that.”

Dunn explained that her begetter was a small-business owner, and the downturn near her worried.

“This is an contented that you tin truly spot time to day: How good is your country store doing? Or your java shop? And successful San Francisco, the reply is that businesses are recovering, but they’re inactive struggling from decreased ft traffic, truly dilatory margins,” she said.

Both she and Fitzgerald, however, indicated they would propulsion their enactment down Harris, who has promised to boost start-ups, contempt scepticism from the right.

“She understands however important tiny businesses are to our communities. And with her economical plan, erstwhile it comes down to it, she has the support of experts,” Dunn said.

Fitzgerald, for his part, warned that Trump represents a menace to US democracy, pointing to his actions connected January 6, 2021, erstwhile his supporters stormed the Capitol.

“I deliberation the candidates could not beryllium much different,” helium said. “I mean, you person 1 candidate, our erstwhile president, who virtually tried to overthrow our ideology connected January 6th, and you person a campaigner who is pro-democracy, who is pro-women’s rights, and is pro-LGBTQ rights.”

This election, helium added, volition beryllium “a immense fork successful the road”.

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

Jennifer Fieber, 51, subordinate of San Francisco Tenants Union

For decades, the San Francisco Bay Area has been successful the grips of a lodging crisis.

Housing prices are unaffordable for galore residents. Rental costs person ticked up. And a January 2024 study from the metropolis authorities estimated that homelessness affects astatine slightest 8,323 residents — a apt undercount. More than 20,000 sought assistance for homelessness implicit the people of a year.

Jennifer Fieber, a subordinate of the San Francisco Tenants Union, pointed to the situation arsenic the main information for her vote. She indicated she would beryllium supporting progressive campaigner Aaron Peskin successful his contention for mayor.

“Tenants are 64 percent of the city,” Fieber said. “I deliberation if you stabilize their housing, it has a profound effect connected moving people and the quality of radical to unrecorded successful the city. So we request candidates that are gonna support tenants.”

She explained that precocious lodging prices were forcing indispensable workers similar nurses and teachers retired of the city.

When asked which candidates had enactment guardant platforms to code the issue, Fieber responded: “Actually, I deliberation that they person been ignoring it to their detriment.”

That includes connected the nationalist scale, she added. “I enactment the Democrats, but they don’t truly person a lodging policy.”

Joshua Kelly hopes to guarantee a section road remained closed, arsenic the effects of clime alteration became much evident [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]

Joshua Kelly, 45, stay-at-home dad

For homemaker and stay-at-home dada Joshua Kelly, the roadway that lines San Francisco’s Pacific Coast was a information to get retired the vote.

That four-lane road, known arsenic the Great Highway, was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, to let for outdoor recreation. Residents similar Kelly anticipation it remains closed, peculiarly arsenic the road faces the ravages of clime change.

“Our program [is] to crook a coastal road that’s falling into the water into a parkland and promenade for the full city,” Kelly said.

He argued the stakes are bigger than conscionable the destiny of a road.

“What benignant of a metropolis bash we privation to be? Do we privation to beryllium a metropolis that acknowledges and embraces clime alteration and plans for it?” Kelly asked. “Or bash we privation to beryllium a metropolis that prioritises polluting, climate-change-causing car question and the convenience of that supra everything else?”

He credited outgoing President Joe Biden with taking immoderate steps to code the clime crisis.

“Joe Biden was capable to, done the Inflation Reduction Act, make 1 of the biggest pieces of clime legislation. And we’re seeing a batch of renewable vigor travel retired of that,” Kelly explained.

But helium warned that continued activism would beryllium indispensable to support the contented astatine the forefront of nationalist policy, nary substance the result connected Tuesday.

“I deliberation we’re portion of a conjugation that’s going to enactment unit connected Kamala Harris to bash that, if she is elected arsenic well. And if Trump gets in, he’s going to propulsion fossil fuels. He’s going to extremity subsidies for renewable energy. He’s going to nonstop america backwards.”

Kelly besides feared the unit Trump mightiness spark if helium refuses to judge a decision astatine Harris’s hands.

“I americium acrophobic astir the imaginable for violence,” Kelly said. “If the predetermination becomes benignant of contested, determination is simply a bully accidental that the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court would conspire to springiness the predetermination to Trump, contempt him losing the votes successful the Electoral College.”

Voters formed their ballots extracurricular of San Francisco’s City Hall connected November 5 [Allison Griner/Al Jazeera]