At the Broward County Library In Hollywood, Florida, Caleb Cazacu, a sophomore at the University of Florida, approaches the mail ballot box. He ensures that his ballot is filled out correctly, then slides it into the box. He grabs a sticker and places it on his shirt. For the first time ever, he has voted.

“It seems like just a piece of paper when you get it, but when you fill it out and drop it in the box it feels like a major step in growing up,” said Cazacu.

Cazacu is a first-time voter. Due to COVID-19, he and his family felt it was best to vote through the mail rather than waiting in line.

“As soon as I turned 18 this year, I knew I had to register to vote,” said Cazacu, “this was a super close election, and every vote is important.”

In a surprisingly tight presidential election, Joe Biden was declared the winner four days after Election Day, with 290 electoral college votes and more than 4 million more votes overall.

Although Florida’s 29 electoral votes went to Trump, this year 1.1 million Floridians between the ages of 18-34 voted, a 44% increase from the 2016 election.

“My parents have definitely influenced my decision; however, I agree with them,” he said, “Even if they didn’t influence me, I wouldn’t change my vote.”

When Cazacu opened his mailbox and saw his ballot in the pile of mail, he immediately opened it up. As he pulled out the ballot, his jaw dropped. He did not expect there to be so many other things to vote for.

“I knew a voting ballot had more than just the presidents, however, there was a lot more to vote for then I had expected,” he said.

SBHS student, Kaliana Hutiu, was filled with nerves and excitement all at the same time. She decided to wait until election day to vote.

“I would say the biggest influence for me was social media, I spent a lot of time on it and seeing what other people my age were saying even if I disagreed with them,” she said.

Although Biden has won, Trump has not officially conceded, rather has filed law-suits claiming fraud and tampering with the election in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan

Merill Delos Santos, a 19-year-old at Broward College, is relieved over the election coming to a close, however, he is still anxious over the lawsuits Trump filed.

“It finally came to an end, but now Trump has these lawsuits and now we’re not even sure what it is going to lead to,” he said.

Delos Santos and Cazacu anxiously await the results of the filed lawsuits not knowing whether the results will change at all. 

“No matter what happens nobody will be pleased, so at this point, it’s all about waiting and just hoping for the best,” said Cazacu.