early voting

The First-Time Voter: Why She’s Voting for Obama

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Ruthann Perry, 50, of Virginia Beach, Va. is a first-time voter. Originally from Providence, Rhode Island, the mother of four girls and 10 grandchildren will cast her first vote in the 2008 election on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Perry now owns a daycare center in Virginia Beach. Her center keeps five kids, all of whom she claims are Obama supporters. After hearing Obama’s speeches, she became an Obama supporter and first time voter.

Research shows Perry is not alone. According to a recent Pew Report, one out of 10 voters in 2008 are voting for the first time. And as an African American, Perry is one of the 21 percent of first-time voters who are black.

Why have you chosen to vote in this election?
I’ve chosen to vote because of Obama. Obama means change. This country needs a change. I like Obama. I like what he is saying about medical (health care) issues.

Why is this election important to you?
Because America needs a change. I think Obama is that change. I’m also concerned about medical issues and education for the children.

Why didn’t you vote in the past?
I know it seems silly but I didn’t want get picked for jury duty, that’s my reason. But I didn’t know that you don’t have to be a voter to be selected for jury duty.

What issues matter to you most in this election?
Medical. I’m worried about how some people can’t afford medical care. Obama is going to make medical care affordable for people like me. My daughter had cancer. She was denied health care insurance. They gave it to me. Since I’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, they have now denied my health insurance. Obama is saying that medical care will be available for everyone.

Are you voting for Obama because he is black?
Yes and no. Yes, in a way it does matter to me. But, I just like what he was saying. He could be purple. He was just saying the right thing. What got me was the medical care. A lot of people are dying because they can’t afford it.

How did you register to vote?
People actually came to my door. They told me that I was on some list. They said the process would only take two seconds. I think they were students. They had all of my information on the paper. All I had to do was verify it and sign. My [voter registration] card was sent in the mail. It was really easy. This was the first time they’ve done this—come to my door and asked me to vote. Now all I have to do is go vote.

Did you have to declare a party affiliation during registration?
No, I just had to verify my information.

When are you voting?
I’m voting on Election Day. It’s going to be difficult because I run a daycare. I am going to get to the polls at 5 a.m. The polls open at 6 a.m.

Did you consider early voting?
Yes, I did, but I missed it. I didn’t know where I was going to go. I had to go to DMV. I missed it.

Since you are voting for Obama, do you think he will win?
Yes, I do. A lot of people are voting for him, especially young kids. A lot of them are telling me they are voting for him. I have a nephew who just turned 18. He is voting for Obama.

Do you think that one vote counts?
Yes. I didn’t think so before but now I do. I realize that it makes a difference in what we want. It is because of Obama. I just listened to his speech. I liked what he was saying.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment »

Daily News Roundup: A Quake and Possible Landslide?

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

Early Wednesday morning a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 170 people and leaving an estimated 15,000 people homeless. Rescuers are currently digging and searching for survivors in the a remote valley in Baluchistan, a province bordering Afghanistan. The worst hit was a British hilltop village of Ziarat and eight surrounding villages. “There is great destruction,” said Ziarat Mayor Dilawar Kakar to Associated Press. “Not a single house is intact.”

With less than a week until the presidential election, many people have decided to vote early. And in key swing states like North Carolina, Nevada and Colorado, the number of Democrats early ballots outweigh Republicans ballots nearly 2 to 1.

So, does the electoral math add up to an Obama landslide? According to the most recent Associated Press-GfK poll, Barack Obama is leading or tied with John McCain in eight key states: Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. This poll also showed Obama winning in states among early voters. Furthermore, “the polling shows Obama holding solid leads in Ohio (seven percentage points), Nevada (12 points), Colorado (9) and Virginia (seven), all red states won by Bush that collectively offer 47 electoral votes.” Based on these results, if Obama wins these four states or a magical combination of two or three of them with significant amount of electoral votes, he would almost certainly become president.

Barack Obama takes his final campaign plea to the airways. Tonight, Obama will go on national TV with a 30-minute infomercial about himself and his campaign. Even with the math beginning to add up on his side, many political strategists wonder if Obama’s infomercial could backfire on him.

And just a day before Obama’s video, CNN’s Campbell Brown reminds the American public that Obama reneged on his campaign finance promise. Obama’s decision to not take public financing allowed him to raise more than $600 million dollars (more than Bush & Kerry raised in 2004) so far, and buy 30 minutes of airtime for his infomercial on five different networks.

Although the presidential race has not been decided, a group of conservatives are discussing the political impact of Gov. Sarah Palin. If McCain and Palin win, she puts social conservatism in the White House. If the Republican ticket loses, she will be a potential presidential candidate in 2012 and leader of the social conservative movement. Is Palin the future of the Republican Party?

Perhaps showing she can strut her own stuff and agenda, Republican vice presidential candidate Palin is in Toledo, Ohio Wednesday speaking on her favorite topic, energy. Palin has called for a “clean break” from the Bush Administration’s energy policies, which she says are too dependent on foreign oil.

And in money news, the Fed is expected to cut the key interest rate by a half-point to help combat the worst financial crisis in 70 years and keep the country out of a deep recession. If the slash happens, the federal funds rate would be lowered to 1 percent. This possible interest rate cut caused European stock markets to trade mostly higher on Wednesday. And the U.S. stock market was slightly higher Wednesday after “one of the biggest single-session gains in history” on Tuesday.

Some good news: gas prices continue to fall. For the past 42 days, gas has steadily fallen to a 3-year low. Gas hasn’t been this low since Aug. 18. 2005.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

Daily News Roundup: Economy & Election Dominate Headlines

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Is it a recession? The stock market went south this morning after Wachovia reported its big quarterly loss. The global markets have also tumbled down. Mortgage rates are at an 8-year low. And 41 states reported job losses in September. Plus, the U.S. had the highest level of mass layoffs, when employers let go of 50+ employees, since 9/11. Even tech giant, Yahoo is expected to layoff at least 1,500 employees.

The good news: credit markets improved as bank-to-bank lending rates declined. And there is a possibility of a second economic stimulus package after the presidential election.

Early voting rates is leading many election officials to forecast 2008 as record turnout year. And in many states, African Americans are “turning out in disproportionate numbers.”

However, an Albuquerque woman was recently turned away from the polls because she wore an Obama t-shirt. Apparently, New Mexico’s law prevents any campaign paraphernalia, including good ole tees, from appearing at the polls (but allows intoxicated people to vote). Hmm… So word to the wise, don’t wear your favorite Obama or McCain shirt to the polls.

With only two weeks left until Election Day, the most recent Pew poll has Obama leading McCain by 14 points. And the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released today has Obama up by 10 points.

Palin’s in the hot seat big time now. In addition to “Troopergate”, Ms. Governor of Alaska has been accused of using the state’s money to fund her children’s travel to the tune of over $21,000. And to keep Palin looking her best on the campaign trail, the Republican Party has reportedly spent more than $150,000 on her wardrobe.

Although she has been called a role model for women, the owners of this web site are calling Palin an idiot. Ouch!

And speaking of potential role models (not!), Britney Spears case ends in a mistrial. The jurors simply couldn’t agree on whether Spears was driving without her license. Meanwhile, her song “Womanizer” is at the top of the Billboard music charts.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off