Cheer coach offers advice at Texas polls: 'We can love each other no matter our backgrounds' | US el

Cheer coach offers advice at Texas polls: 'We can love each other no matter our backgrounds'

Navarro College, which became famous after an acclaimed Netflix show, is a polling spot on a critical day in the 2020 election

Navarro College, in Corsicana, Texas, became world famous this year after the success of the Netflix documentary Cheer, which followed the college’s champion cheerleading squad as they fought to defend their national title last year.

But on Super Tuesday, this community college is also home to one of the 20 polling stations in this small county of 48,000 people. On the morning of this critical vote in the Democratic primary race, in which Texas will play a major role in determining the nominee for president, the Guardian visited to gauge the mood.

There were no queues outside the voting booths at the campus’s Cook Center. Instead, the most frantic activity was a few hundred feet away at the college’s health centre, where the cheer squad’s now instantly recognizable head coach, Monica Aldama, was carrying a large cardboard box laden with red and black cheerleading uniforms.

“I have not voted yet,” Aldama said, nodding towards the polling station. “But I plan on doing it as soon as I’m done today.”

The team are preparing for the 2020 national championship next month and practice is intense. But Aldama said she would still carve out time to cast a ballot in the primary elections.

She would not say how she would cast her ballot, or whether she was voting in the Republican or Democratic primary. “I don’t really have a political affiliation,” she said. “I just go with a person that I’m interested in.”

Navarro county voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in the 2016 US election – he won 72% of the vote here. On Tuesday, Texans are voting in the Republican Texas primary, but because Trump faces no serious challenge, all eyes are on the Democratic race as the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and the former vice-president Joe Biden compete for frontrunner status.

Aldama, 47, became one of the show’s stars as the six-part series documented her meticulous preparation for the championships and the deep emotional connection she forged with her group of cheerleaders, marked by their diversity across race, sexuality and gender. Aldama was keen to talk about the show’s overarching message at a time of deep division in American politics.

“I think just seeing that we can all love each other no matter our backgrounds,” she said. “I think that’s the incredible thing about cheerleading. We are so inclusive, we love everyone. And that’s why, to bring it back to the election, I’m not a political person in terms of [party] affiliation, because I don’t have strict values on one side or the other. I love people.”

On a grey, humid morning on campus, many had taken the time to vote between classes and were open about their political affiliations.

Sandra Jimenez, a 19-year-old criminal justice major in her second year of study, cast her ballot for Sanders, the most progressive of the Democratic presidential candidates.

This was her first presidential primary and she was drawn to Sanders for his criminal justice reform platform and his history in the civil rights struggle.

“He has good values,” Jimenez said. “He was in the civil rights movement and was part of a movement to make change.”

Delia Guzman, a 21-year-old education major, cast her vote for Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, drawn to her education policy platform.

“She would be the first woman president. And for me, and for other women, that would be a huge step for us.”

Davarrius Richardson, a 19-year-old kinesiology student and a cornerback in the college football team, was preparing to cast a vote for Biden.

“When Barack was in office he was always behind him. He got healthcare passed,” he said.

This year’s Republican primary had a number of local elections on the ballot, including the run for sheriff and district attorney, which had drawn out Republican voters.

Carol Davenport, 70, admitted that, though she had voted Democratic in previous elections, none of the current candidates in the Democratic primary could swing her vote away from Trump in November.

“Really, there’s not any of the Democratic presidential candidates I would care for,” she said.

But like many across the country, she had watched the documentary about her local cheer team and loved it for its inclusivity and diversity.

“I think it showed how people can work together even though they’re different,” she said.

While Navarro county is unlikely to hold a major sway in the outcome of Tuesday’s primary, due to its small population and mostly Republican voting base, millions will very likely be rooting for their cheerleading team look to defend their title again on 8 April.

Did Aldama think this year’s routine could bring people together in a similar way to last year?

“We hope so,” she said. “We’re pushing hard. It’s a very hard routine and we’re putting a lot of hours in.”

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