A Florida woman, Rayna, shares her eerie trip through floodwaters on a paddleboard on her way to the polling stations. Many residents in the West Palm Beach area have been trapped by flooding. However, this didn’t stop Rayna from casting her vote. Her video has since gone viral with 7.3 million views, 1.3 million likes, and over 6,000 comments.
She hopes to show with this video that, in her opinion, there’s no excuse to not vote. She says, “I literally paddle-boarded to make sure I could cast my vote.” However, for her to do so, she had to take a few extra steps if she wanted to leave her house. While making her way through, Rayna points out, “I can actually see the road today, which is so eerie.” During her trip, she makes multiple observations, from an abandoned car with the windows rolled down to oil in the water.
The water itself doesn’t concern her. However, she says, “I really don’t wanna run into a gator.” Thankfully, Rayna didn’t encounter any wildlife on her journey. She made it safely to the “front of the neighborhood,” which had clear access into town. Rayna texted her polling station, and a woman with a minivan graciously gave her a ride. When she returned to her neighborhood, people were still in the process of “trying to get people in and out just so that they can vote.”
Unfortunately, on her way back home, she paddled past trucks attempting to get out of the water, which caused ripples. She says, “They’re causing the biggest [expletive] waves, and it’s so scary. This is worse than paddleboarding in the [expletive] Intercoastal.” Despite the brief encounter, Rayna floated safely back to her driveway and was hopeful her power had returned.
Thousands Cheer For Florida Woman’s Dedication
Several are applauding her dedication and have left a mix of emotional, humorous, and supportive comments. One person says, “This is a woman who cares about her country!!! GO VOTE!!!!” Another adds, “Gators, snakes, mosquitoes, none of them could keep you from voting. You go, diva!!!” Meanwhile, some of the comments were moved by her efforts, such as one commenter who says, “Girl, you said I’m saving my country come hell or HIGH WATER literally.”
However, others found the humor in the situation, saying, “I’ve heard of elf on a shelf but vote on a boat is new for me!” Another thinks this will give her a funny old-timer’s story in the future: “Now when ur old u can tell all the kids BACK IN MY DAY WE HAD TO PADDLE BOARD IN GATOR WATER TO GO VOTE.” One commenter asks an important question: “Do you still have to stop for a stop sign if you’re on a paddle board? 😂”
Rayna has posted an update on the flooding with a video showing how much the waters have started to recede.
