On Election Day Eve, Jadelynn Shaw returned to the televised debate between presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. 

Shaw, 28, cast her vote for Harris on a rainy Election Day afternoon on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Whitehaven Community Center. In the end, Harris’ pro-choice abortion policies won her over. Trump’s stance, she said, “struck a nerve.” 

“That was a big deal for me, considering I know quite a few of the rape victims that I grew up with,” Shaw said, explaining her support for Harris. “…It was hard for them to go through that, and then they had to make certain decisions that affected them later on in life.” 

Shaw, a Black woman, said her vote for Harris was less about representation in the White House and more about the issues she cares most about.

“When it came down to the (President Barack) Obama years, in the beginning, I did believe, ‘Hey, we have someone Black in the White House,’” Shaw said. 

“But then,” Shaw added, “once I thought about it, either Black or white, it’s what they go for.” 

Shaw said she didn’t research local initiatives and candidates as thoroughly, but she supports more gun control in Memphis. 

The issue was posed to local voters in three ballot questions this year and has been a big topic of conversation among some of her family members.

“It’s always a major discussion within my family about gun laws and gun rights,” said Shaw, a native Memphian, adding that the majority of her family members voted similarly to her. 

Eugene Meadows headed to the Whitehaven Community Center to vote before work on Tuesday afternoon. He said he didn’t know very much about the gun questions on the ballot but that he supports the gun control measures they offer. 

“We’ve got to get the guns under control for sure,” Meadows said. “…If you’re not cleared to get (a gun), you shouldn’t have one.”

He said he supported Harris in the presidential race, following a trend among family and friends. 

“She’s the first female,” Meadows said. 

Also at Whitehaven Community Center was Jerry Clay, a 32-year Army veteran who lives in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Clay said he makes the point to drive through rideshare apps on Election Day to help people get to and from the polls. He said his own Election Day sticker hanging off the side of his rearview mirror has generated conversation. 

“That’s the key thing, is make sure you vote,” Clay said he tells riders. “It’s that important.” 

Clay, who voted for Trump, called this year’s election the most premier and consequential election of his lifetime. “And I’m 72.”