Election Year in Southeast Ohio.
Division
Larry Gibson
76-years-old. Athens, Ohio.
It’s election year in the United States, and as citizens cast their votes, tensions continue to rise across the country. In Southeast Ohio, there is a division.
Athens, Ohio, a small and mostly democratic college town, sits nestled in surrounding red counties. In the heart of Athens, a “Trump, Vance” yard sign is a rare sight to come by. However, Larry Gibson, a retired law enforcement officer and long-term Athens, Ohio resident, is proud to voice his support for former president Donald Trump. Gibson lives with his wife, Deborah; they share a home on one of Athens’ busiest streets. The two frequently sit on their porch facing their neighbors who almost all have “Harris, Walz” yard signs. I asked Gibson if he feels secluded living in a place that does not always understand his views, and he said that he often does, in Athens, he gets looks when he wears one of his Trump hats spanning the 2020 and 2024 elections. Gibson said people often view him as a threat.
.
“If I’m some big threat to anybody then there's something wrong.”
He voiced concern of what might ensue in the days following the election.
“It's a little bit scary because I’m worried of what's gonna happen if Trump wins. There's gonna be riots, you know there is…it’s not gonna be republicans in the street.”
Gibson later mentioned he was present in Washington, D.C. during the January 6th insurrection, but didn’t specify his motivations for visiting the city at that time
“Now, they recognize me, and follow me like a dog would.”
Larry Gibson, 76-years-old, prepares apples for deer that visit his backyard every night. Oct. 30, 2024. In 2022 two deer were born in Gibsons’ backyard; since then, he has made an effort to be friends with the “city deer” of Athens as he likes to call them. Every night around dusk, he sits outside waiting for them. He is often able to hand-feed them. Gibson said he has 6-7 ‘“regulars” that frequent his yard for corn and apples. These animals see Gibson as soft and kind, he cares for them deeply and was able to earn their trust throughout the past two years. Gibson said the deer have become dependent on him for food and fresh water every night. It is a sort of ritual Gibson performs every night with his deer.
Molly Schoenhoff
58-years-old. Athens, Ohio.
“Have people cried yet?”
This was the first thing Molly Schoenhoff said when asked about what the upcoming election meant to her. Schoenhoff is an artist and graphic designer living in Athens, Ohio. She is an activist, advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, and a supporter of Kamala Harris this election year.
Schoenhoff stood there for a moment, almost at a loss of words contemplating this question. I got similar reactions within my time of documenting this election, lots of intense looks and overwhelming sighs full of question and wonder. Schoenhoff then began to describe how she felt about the election by recalling a memory of an Eastern Kentucky ridgetop. One side of the ridge was engulfed in snow, while the opposite side was much warmer. She related the differing environments to the outcomes of the election– the snow-covered side relating and representing what it would mean for former president Donald Trump to win the election, and the warmer side representing what it would mean for Vice President Kamala Harris to win.
“Feels like the death of everything, the death of our heart, of life itself,”
Schoenhoff said about the feelings that come with a possible second Trump term in the near future.
Molly Schoenhoff’s hands, covered in blue chalk, after working on a chalk wall in front of her home in Athens, Ohio. Nov. 3, 2024. The wall is flooded with blue and has drawings of large waves along with the words in bold letters “Vote” and “Love”. Schoenhoff is very passionate about this election and continues to spread her message as election day approaches. The wall is a symbol of Schoenhoff’s passion and care that she feels for the rights for women, the transgender community and minorities. This passion pushes her decision to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“It’s a watershed imoment,”
Schoenhoff said when speaking about the complexity of her vote for Harris and what it means to her and other women.
“The first example little girls will have to look at a woman president and someone who didn’t grow up with white privilege,”
Schoenhoff said about what it would mean for Vice President Kamala Harris to be in office as the first woman and non-white woman president of the United States