On the Street, Oct. 2, 1:00 p.m.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT AMERICANS NOT VOTING?
Martin Williams, DePaul University staff, Chicago: “If they’re not gonna vote, then that’s like voting for Mitt Romney. If they had any common sense they’d realize that the a**hole they know is better than the a**hole they don’t know.”
Interviewed by Mathew Cunningham
John Stroud, Chicago: “Ideologically, I feel that if you can just get off your a** and do it you should, but I can understand the argument from a working poor person. Those two hours they take to vote may hurt them personally.”
Interviewed by Brandon Smith and Carlee Craig
Danielle James, Columbia College Chicago student, Chicago: “I’m from Canada and I’m not a citizen. I have a Green Card and I can’t vote even though I’m a permanent resident. I’m trying to get my friends to vote and my roommates to vote for me. If you’re going to complain about the current state of what our country’s in, then you should probably vote.”
Interviewed by Emily Ornberg and Hallie Zolkower-Kutz
Troy Howard, DePaul University student, Chicago: “I feel like they’re dead space. Some people say they don’t vote because don’t like either party, but without voting, you’re not getting your point across, so everyone should be voting.”
Interviewed by Tyler K. McDermott
Stephanie Howell, DePaul University professor, Chicago: “I understand that folks believe their vote doesn’t count because of the electoral college system, but I believe it’s one of our civic duties and it does matter.”
Interviewed by Tyler K. McDermott
Neno Jones, college student, Chicago: “They are wasting their right to vote. My people about 100 years ago couldn’t vote so, to me , it is important to use your right to vote.”
Interviewed by Megan Purazrang
Haile Hansen, Columbia College Chicago student, Chicago: “That is a personal choice. I’m not going to tell people to go vote or not to vote. It is all based on what you want to get out of it and what you believe. We have the electoral college so, truth be told, they could just say f**k what we say and do what they want. It’s frowned upon but they have the right to do it.”
Interviewed by Megan Purazrang
Julie Hillgard, Chicago: “I understand not voting if you’re doing something to change the system, but if you’re sitting on your a**, you should vote because someone’s going to become president. You should have a say in it because it’s your country.”
Interviewed by Tyler K. McDermott
Ryan Johnson, DePaul University staff, Chicago: “I guess people don’t [vote] because they have a feeling of apathy like it doesn’t matter whether [they] vote or not. Especially in a place like Illinois where Democrats always seem to win. I feel like if people don’t vote, then you probably shouldn’t feel about the results.”
Interviewed by Ricky Orozco and Jeremy Melendez
Nicholas Gasaway, film student, Columbia College, Chicago: “I mean it’s their choice, but they have no room to blame anyone because they didn’t make a decision. To fight the system, you have to play with the system, and they don’t seem to understand that.”
Interviewed by: Mathew Cunningham
WHAT ISSUE IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Tom Perry, Chicago: “Gay marriage. I’d like to see more uniformity and equality, and what that means as far as benefits and rights. And I think that having a president who is willing to [to acknowledge equality] gives us more of an opportunity to move forward.”
Interviewed by Hayley Pahl
Travis Troyer, Peoria, IL: “I think we need more jobs. ..We’re from down south, and there have been a lot of lay-offs. The biggest concern right now is the deficit and spending….. Every time they take something away, they take it from the schools. Schools are important because they [the children] are going to be running the country when we’re old.”
Interviewed by Topher Svymbersky
Blaine Troyer, Peoria, IL: “Schools. Our school system totally cut out the arts, completely, about two or three years ago. So for us it’s a big thing. I come from a bigger city, from Virginia Beach. Now they have no art program whatsoever and what does that give our children? It doesn’t really give them a broad prospective of what goes on in the world.”
Interviewed by Kaitlin Buckley
Byron Luedens, Chicago: “For people who are primarily Caucasian and from a decent background, it is kind of hard to fall into poverty. So that means that a lot of people cannot understand just how crippling poverty can be. They will never get it and that is what Mitt Romney sums up for me. He does not get it.”
Interviewed by Sharon Vasquez, Joanna Hernandez and Sofia Spaniolo
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT VOTER ID REQUIREMENTS?
Wheeler Cole, Roosevelt University staff, Chicago: “I have a problem with Republicans who are trying to hit certain states with these voter ID things for students and others. That’s something that should have been resolved much earlier because, by default, some people won’t be able to vote because they don’t have the IDs.”
Interviewed by Emily Ornberg and Hallie Zolkower-Kutz
Haile Hansen, Columbia College student, Chicago: “They just want to make it more difficult. If you live in America, you should be able to vote. It’s as simple as that.”
Interviewed by Megan Purazrang
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