Undivided: Looking For Common Ground Amid Tough Election, Record Turnout

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Political battles over COVID-19. Civil unrest. A presidential race still undecided. The country is deeply divided. KSL TV has launched a new series of reports highlighting how Utahns are reaching our to their neighbors and looking for ways to find common ground.

A series we’re calling “Undivided” highlights that, particularly in Utah, there is more that unites us than divides us.

Utahn set a record during Tuesday’s tough election, as more people voted than ever before.

“I think it’s my civic duty to do that,” said voter Lily Thomas outside of Murray City Hall. “I think we all have a duty to protect our country.”

Of course, there have certainly been differing opinions on the best way to protect the country, especially in this election since it involved a contentious Presidential race. 

“Returning to a national identity is a big deal,” said voter Jared Jones, after he dropped off his ballot outside Lehi City Hall. 

Both sides said they want what’s best for the United States. However, there is no question the sides disagree on how to accomplish that, and things were more heated with the 2020 Election.

Just look at any social media political posting and the comments. 

It’s okay for people to disagree, but lately, it seems like disagreeing comes with anger, resentment, and bashing each other’s character. 

Utah Governor-elect Spencer Cox and his opponent, Chris Peterson, took a different approach during their race.

Political Opponents For Utah Governor Release Joint Ads Calling For Civility

They appeared together in ads that received national attention. They both said, even with their differences, they don’t have to hate and degrade each other.

They emphasized civil debates.

“We should hold our leaders to a higher standard, but it really is on each of us,” said Cox. “We can’t expect the Presidents to act better, when we act just like them on Facebook when we’re calling names and sending out memes and caricatures of the other side. That doesn’t help, and unfortunately, I believe our elected officials are a reflection of us.”

No matter if your candidate wins or loses, do you wish we could come together and find common ground? Everyone we interviewed said yes. The tough part is how? We have a new @KSL5TV series we're calling "Undivided." We'll start at 5pm with Governor-elect @SpencerJCox #KSLTV pic.twitter.com/ZaL0SVldfE

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) November 4, 2020

Is it possible to come together again after such a divisive election cycle? 

“I think that right now, everything is so divided that, we really can’t. I don’t know. It’s complicated,” said Thomas with a laugh.

It is complicated.

Politics and issues usually are, but why does there seem to be so much anger this time around on both sides? No matter who wins, is it possible we can come together after it’s decided?

 Voters who spoke to KSL TV said yes, but both sides need to make concessions.

“That’s one of my greatest hopes through this, is that we can find some common ground between us and draw back together,” said voter Ben Marshall. 

Everyone we spoke with agreed we should and need to come together, but how can that be done?

“I think that we need to be neighborly with each other and think about each other first,” said Thomas. “We can care about each other.” 

That’s probably easier to do if your candidate won, but what if your candidate lost? How can you find peace with someone whose candidate did win? 

“I think if we can come together to try to make what we have good, then that would probably make big steps towards a little bit of unity,” said Jones. 

Maybe that’s what we’re all looking for. 

Unity. 

The United States is more than who becomes President. It’s about all of us, and how we treat each other, win or lose.

“I think we’ve got to look to our humanity and look to what makes us who we are,” said Marshall.