Voters at a polling place in Maywood said Tuesday that voting a straight Democratic ticket is the way to go in this 2014 midterm election.
“I’m voting Democrat because we’ve got to get something done,” said Barbara Westwood, a child-care program assistant.
Garfield Elementary School, on the corner of Ninth Avenue, is one of the few polling places in Maywood on this rainy Tuesday morning. Although the dreary weather matched the light turnout, the voters showed passion about going to the polls.
“All the Democratic candidates I feel strongly about, they are the ones who will get the economy out of the dirt and back on its feet, and they will do this by creating more jobs,” said Cordell Cooper, a carpenter who said he has lived in Maywood for nearly 40 years.
Other Maywoodians said they share Cooper’s attitude.
A ballot issue about raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour is a very important issue for the village of Maywood, said voters there.
“Raising the minimum wage is a very good thing,” said Robert Reed, a medical assistant.
Others say it’s a necessity and will lead to a positive outcome.
“It’s needed because families are hurting and struggling to survive,” said Diane Barnes, a seven-year Maywood resident.
“I remember when the minimum wage was $4.25 an hour, and you could barely make ends meet then, so I’m glad that raising the minimum wage is an issue that will be tackled in this election,” Cooper said.
Some voters said they struggled with how much to raise the minimum wage.
“It should at least be raised to more than $10 hour,” said Reloyce McMahn, a retiree who has lived in Maywood for nearly 50 years.
Some people think it should be much more than that.
“I think them trying to raise the minimum wage is great, but they need to aim higher,” said David Johnson, who works at the Ford Co. and is a union member. “I was just at a rally in Chicago fighting for it to be at least $15 an hour.”
Other ballot issues include whether birth control coverage should be part of all health insurance plans and whether voters should be require to show their ID’s at the polls. But most people agreed that these topics haven’t been at the forefront of this election.
“The attack ads on the different candidates [are bad], it’s kind of something to laugh about,” said Johnson.
Other Maywoodians say the negative advertising is just what comes with the event.
“It’s to be expected. It’s the norm in this sort of thing,” said McMahn.
Some say the TV commercials help shine some light on who the candidates really are and what they are about. Other voters said residents should do some fact checking on their own.
“It’s what politicians do, but you still have to do your homework regardless of what they are saying and the money that is thrown around,” Barnes said.
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