‘It’s just over the top’: Lancaster County voters dealing with political stress

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Voters in Lancaster County expressed political burnout at the polls on Friday.

One early voter, John Weixelman, said he’s seen enough political commercials to last a lifetime.

“It’s come to the point where I turn my TV off,” he said. “The commercials come on; it’s just over the top.”

Another early voter, Chris Heise, was more worried about what will happen after election results are released.

He said he hopes “nothing terrible happens both to the country and to Nebraska and to Lincoln. Nut I don’t know if I have good faith in that.”

Heise said he just wants a good future for his two daughters.

“There’s a lot of doom from both sides. I think it’s a very important election for Nebraskans,” he said. “I’m old, but I have young children. It’s important for them, too. They don’t get to vote, so I’m very stressed about their future.”

He said the stress is coming from the unknown.

CHI Health psychiatrist Dr. Larisa Che said that’s normal.

“Just like any good thing, it can become too much for some families or just some adults and kids,” she said about politics.

Che suggested people turn their attention to something else, even if it’s just for a short amount of time.

“You still want to leave space for normal,” she said, “so I would encourage, perhaps while you’re listening on the radio, then you turn the channel to something else that’s talking about broader topics so that you can stay informed.”

But she said that might not work for everyone.

“Some people could be going down the drain and because there’s so much noise, we could miss that our loved ones are struggling beyond what we see,” she said.

Weixelman said no matter the result, Americans just need to accept it and carry on.

“I’m hoping for the best, but we live with whatever comes across,” he said. “You just got to transition peacefully and go on.”