Bernd Debusmann Jr.
Reporting from Philadelphia

When the polls opened in Pennsylvania, I was inundated with messages from voters I met during the weeks and months of the US campaign.

One voter I’ve heard from is Jay Kirell, a 46-year-old Philadelphia resident. He is a veteran and fought in Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division. I spoke to him for the first time after the fall of Kabul in 2021, when he told me about his complex feelings following the Taliban takeover.

Like many others I’ve spoken to in recent days, Kirell says he’s “exhausted” by the election.

“The whole process takes a long time and feels even longer,” he tells me. “I think everyone wanted it to be over.”

“It’s certainly exciting,” he adds. “But it’s as exciting as running away from a bear. “You just wish it didn’t seem so life or death.”

Kirell predicts a Harris victory, both in Pennsylvania and nationally. As a veteran, he says he wants a president who will do more for former service members and navigate difficult situations in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Ultimately, he believes elections are “fundamentally two different Americas being fought for.”

“And we are 24 hours away from knowing what we are going to be, and absolutely no one knows what is going to happen,” he says. “That’s absolutely terrifying.”