Editor’s Note: The Voting Project is a collection of interviews put together by D.L. Richardson’s JRN251 class. With elections fast approaching, the class went out and asked people two simple questions: who they were voting for and why. The answers may surprise you:
“I am in no way voting for [Republican presidential candidate Mitt] Romney,” said Rachel Blazinski, who hopes to be a Native American studies major at Southern Oregon University. “I do not agree with his politics. Also I am not a fan of his vice presidential choice Paul Ryan.”
Blazinski said that while she did favor President Barack Obama over Romney, she wasn’t enthusiastic about either candidate.
“If you asked me four years ago I would have said Obama, no question,” Blazinski added. “Today, I am not so sure. There just seems to be some hold ups and I’m not sure where he’s at sometimes. However between the two of them, and if I decide to vote, it would be Obama.”
Nathan Kimbrough, who graduated from SOU last year, will be voting for Obama this election season.
“I’m voting for Barack Obama because I know that a vote for Ron Paul is a wasted vote and I can’t vote for a man [Romney] who claims to be American and doesn’t keep his money here, or a man who isn’t honest about anything, especially his own tax plan, or a man who is active in outsourcing jobs to China.”
“I am not voting for Obama because I agree with every single one of his ideas or because I am a Democrat,” said Meghan McNulty, an SOU student. “I am voting for him because, as much as I hate to admit it, I know that the competition is between the Democratic and Republican parties – Obama and Romney – and I do not agree with any of Romney’s ideas, views, or plans.”
“I see Obama as a more pure person morally and I believe that the only hope that this country has is to at least have someone with pure intentions in office,” she added. “Not some bulldog CEO that wants to not only cut funding for Planned Parenthood and many other important public programs but then turn around and give the money to the military who is not even asking for the addition funding.”
“I believe that the economic problem stems from the over bearing power that has been given to large corporations – like Monsanto – and knowing that Romney’s swollen bank account came from investments in those companies makes me uneasy. Not everything Obama has done has been perfect, but I would trust his judgment over Romney’s any day.”
