ELECTION UPDATE: In their voices, how they voted
Posted 11/04/08
In their voices ... more exit comments
9:00 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
The Capital News Service, to which The Eagle subscribes, has been conducting
exit interviews with voters in the 6th Congressional District. While none
were done here in Carroll County, the 6th District does include Carroll, as
well as Frederick and Western Maryland. Here's a sampling of what some of
6th District Voters were saying. Note: CNS included the names of the
interviewees in their report, but we've removed that to simply indicate if
they are male or female. The correspondents in the field were CNS reporters
Elizabeth M. Piazza and Michelle Zenarosa.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Fountaindale Elementary School, Hagerstown
FEMALE
AGE - over 60
PARTY AFFILIATION - Republican
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - McCain
WHY ‹ I just believe in the Republican Party, I just believe that that's our
best step.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE - Jennifer Dougherty
WHY ‹ I know her personally.
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY ‹ I've seen what they¹ve done to other areas, they certainly don't bring
in the wholesome growth that we need.
EARLY VOTING - (Declined)
WHY ‹ (Declined)
WRAP-UP COMMENT - It was a hard decision to make, but I have a business and
I believe that the Republican philosophy will be good for business.
LOCATION and PRECINCT - Washington County Library, Hagerstown
FEMALE
AGE - 86
PARTY AFFILIATION - Democrat
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY - I think he's young, he's smart, and I think he could get the job done.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE - (Declined)
WHY - (Declined)
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY - Because it's personal. I had a husband who was a chronic gambler,
addicted to gambling. He took off and left me with an 11-month-old baby to
raise so I don't think I'll vote for that.
EARLY VOTING - No
WHY - I don't think that's necessary. I don't know, I'm just thinking
everybody should do it at the same time.
WRAP-UP COMMENT - I voted ever since I was eligible. Everything influenced
my vote, the economy.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Fountaindale Elementary School, Hagerstown
MALE
AGE - 21
PARTY AFFILIATION - Independent
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY ‹ Last night I saw a website, TheRealMcCain.com, and it kind of rubbed
me the wrong way and it sent me over the edge.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE ‹ (Declined)
WHY ‹ I didn¹t really pay attention to it, to be honest. Between work, I
think voting for the president was easiest in terms of having plenty of
coverage and learning about the major candidates.¹
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY ‹ We have Vegas for a reason, we have Atlantic City for a reason. I
don't really feel the need that we need to put that everywhere across the
United States.
EARLY VOTING - Yes
WHY ‹ I think that's a good thing and we need it. I was half-tempted to vote
early on the absentee ballot because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make
it back to Hagerstown from Baltimore. My permanent address is here in
Hagerstown, I actually live in Baltimore and work out of College Park.
WRAP-UP COMMENT ‹ One thing is for certain. Things have to change regardless
of who is in office. I think it¹s best to pick somebody who has got fresh
new ideas, because evidently the ideas we have right now are not working. I
definitely think our foreign policy is one thing that really stands out, of
course, with all the wars we are involved in and with all the potential wars
we could be involved in, having a candidate that can really bring the
parties to the table and accomplish what we really need to accomplish so
that we don't end up in another war.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick
MALE
AGE - 59
PARTY AFFILIATION - Republican
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - McCain
WHY- I like him a whole lot better than a socialist.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE ‹ (Declined)
WHY ‹ (Declined)
SLOTS VOTE - Yes
WHY ‹ (Declined)
EARLY VOTING - No
WHY ‹ Increased possibility of fraud.¹
WRAP-UP COMMENT ‹ Socialist. That's Barack [Obama], I know so. Because when
you overtax people, take their money and give it to people who aren't
working - earning their keep, it's kind of like he said spread the wealth,
its socialism, classic.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick
MALE
AGE - 48
PARTY AFFILIATION - Democrat
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY ‹ Because obviously the change and the opportunity to support some of
the things he believes in - his enthusiasm to make change and make a
difference. He¹s not afraid to get in there and fight. I feel different
voting for Barack. There¹s encouragement now, there is hope, there¹s hope in
the air. It kind of energizes everything. Today is going to be an excellent
day.¹
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE ‹ Jennifer Dougherty
WHY ‹ She's a local business owner so I know her from that aspect. She was
also Mayor. She understands the heartbeat of the community and what¹s going
on. She's one of those Irish strongholds, she doesn't sway, she doesn¹t care
what people think in terms of sticking to her guns and being able to
represent our area, she's definitely going to fight for it.
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY ‹ You're talking two different things - education and slots. If you came
out and said okay, we want slots because we want to generate more revenue,
but when you try to use people's passion for education, education and slots
are totally different. If you want to talk education, then let¹s talk
education.
EARLY VOTING - Yes
WHY ‹ I thought we had it here, matter of fact, my business partner came out
yesterday to vote. I'm kind of mixed. It is nice because you can actually
plan your week to do it instead of making adjustments on the actual day.
WRAP-UP COMMENT ‹ I realize over my short life, my 48 years, we've gotten in
the habit of letting other people make choices, other people to make
decisions. A lot of people make choices by default. I don¹t believe we
really look at our choices, we don¹t dig into the consequences of our
choices. This is a great opportunity for people to take control of our
destiny.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick
MALE
AGE ‹ 68
PARTY AFFILIATION - Democrat
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY- I started out as McCain. He turned me. His attitude, his outlook on the
country - hand in hand, lockstep with Bush. You know if you look at the
candidates, and the vice-presidents, you gotta be realistic about this. What
if something happens to Obama? Joe Biden, Joe Biden was my pick years ago
and then Sen. McCain, he looks very fragile and his vice-president, she
looks like a kid and I don¹t think she has any experience. I think it was a
political ploy. I think Obama picked Biden because he doesn¹t have any
experience and I think Obama did what was right for the country.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE -- Jennifer Dougherty
WHY -- I¹ve been a supporter of her for years and years and years. She¹s
bright, she¹s different, she¹s young. I like her attitude. We¹ve got an old
boy system around here - I don¹t know if you¹ve noticed.
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY - (Declined)
EARLY VOTING - Yes
WHY - You ever notice, the television. Early voters get their vote in there
- probably about as honest as you can get. Why did they change the times for
California because the East Coast was dictating who would win. People like
winners.
WRAP-UP COMMENT - You got to be careful who you get in there. It ain¹t willy
nilly anymore. Things are getting tight and they¹re gonna get worse too.
LOCATION and PRECINCT - Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick
FEMALE
AGE - 31
PARTY AFFILIATION - Democrat
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY - I think he definitely represents a lot of what I believe in ... I work
for a non-profit organization and I definitely believe he would do a lot
more for the environment than McCain would. Also as a lesbian, he's
definitely much more supportive of (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender)
rights than McCain is."
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE - Jennifer Dougherty
WHY - She is definitely a positive direction for Frederick. If we're talking
about change -- the change that Frederick needs, she's working on creating
alternative energy, job creation for Frederick and she's definitely on the
side of the consumer, trying to help with our credit crisis and housing
crisis. She has a strong history. She was the first female mayor of
Frederick so she's def had a proven track record. Its just time to get
Bartlett out of Congress. He's been there for so long. It's just time for a
change and that's why I support Jennifer.
SLOTS VOTE - Yes
WHY - This was a contentious issue in my household. We ended up supporting
slots, which I don't think is necessarily in line with all of the party's
beliefs . . . I understand 50 percent goes to education which I am for and
I definitely think the county education needs more money. I'm not
necessarily a gambler and I wouldn't participate in it myself, but I do
recognize that it's a necessary evil. That's personally where I fall.
EARLY VOTING - Yes
WHY - I was a little jealous of my friends in other states that got to cast
their ballot early so I think the more access we can get to bring people to
the polls the better."
WRAP-UP COMMENT - I definitely always supported Obama but my household
strongly is Republican. We had some very contentious arguments in our
household, and I helped convince them that Obama was the way to go. So
they're all die-hard Republicans voting for Obama in this election.
LOCATION and PRECINCT - Fountaindale Elementary School, Hagerstown
MALE
AGE - 65
PARTY AFFILIATION - Republican
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - McCain
WHY - The reason why is that I just don't trust Obama. I just don't trust
him. He's silver-tongued and I have a lot of faith in McCain. I think he's a
true American hero so I trust him to take care of America. I'm confident and
happy to be an American. It's trust and that's what it comes down to.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE - Jennifer Dougherty
WHY - I think Bartlett has been there for like six or seven times and
basically he's been an absentee congressman for me. I haven't seen him
around Hagerstown. I can't tell you what he's done, he's not gotten the
power, he's really weak and ineffective.
SLOTS VOTE - Yes
WHY - I'm an ex-educator, basically I want (the money) to stay here rather
go here in Washington County than go to West Virginia, I know we've lost a
considerable amt of money. I've heard people go to Charlestown to spend that
money. Also think that it will benefit western Maryland, particularly Geary
and Allegany Counties. I think they could use it best.
EARLY VOTING - No
WHY - "It would cause problems and make it that much more diff to keep track
of the vote. The system works well enough, I don't know that we need to
expand it to do that."
9:00 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
The Capital News Service, to which The Eagle subscribes, has been conducting
exit interviews with voters in the 6th Congressional District. While none
were done here in Carroll County, the 6th District does include Carroll, as
well as Frederick and Western Maryland. Here's a sampling of what some of
6th District Voters were saying. Note: CNS included the names of the
interviewees in their report, but we've removed that to simply indicate if
they are male or female. The correspondents in the field were CNS reporters
Elizabeth M. Piazza and Michelle Zenarosa.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Fountaindale Elementary School, Hagerstown
FEMALE
AGE - over 60
PARTY AFFILIATION - Republican
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - McCain
WHY ‹ I just believe in the Republican Party, I just believe that that's our
best step.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE - Jennifer Dougherty
WHY ‹ I know her personally.
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY ‹ I've seen what they¹ve done to other areas, they certainly don't bring
in the wholesome growth that we need.
EARLY VOTING - (Declined)
WHY ‹ (Declined)
WRAP-UP COMMENT - It was a hard decision to make, but I have a business and
I believe that the Republican philosophy will be good for business.
LOCATION and PRECINCT - Washington County Library, Hagerstown
FEMALE
AGE - 86
PARTY AFFILIATION - Democrat
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY - I think he's young, he's smart, and I think he could get the job done.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE - (Declined)
WHY - (Declined)
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY - Because it's personal. I had a husband who was a chronic gambler,
addicted to gambling. He took off and left me with an 11-month-old baby to
raise so I don't think I'll vote for that.
EARLY VOTING - No
WHY - I don't think that's necessary. I don't know, I'm just thinking
everybody should do it at the same time.
WRAP-UP COMMENT - I voted ever since I was eligible. Everything influenced
my vote, the economy.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Fountaindale Elementary School, Hagerstown
MALE
AGE - 21
PARTY AFFILIATION - Independent
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY ‹ Last night I saw a website, TheRealMcCain.com, and it kind of rubbed
me the wrong way and it sent me over the edge.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE ‹ (Declined)
WHY ‹ I didn¹t really pay attention to it, to be honest. Between work, I
think voting for the president was easiest in terms of having plenty of
coverage and learning about the major candidates.¹
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY ‹ We have Vegas for a reason, we have Atlantic City for a reason. I
don't really feel the need that we need to put that everywhere across the
United States.
EARLY VOTING - Yes
WHY ‹ I think that's a good thing and we need it. I was half-tempted to vote
early on the absentee ballot because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make
it back to Hagerstown from Baltimore. My permanent address is here in
Hagerstown, I actually live in Baltimore and work out of College Park.
WRAP-UP COMMENT ‹ One thing is for certain. Things have to change regardless
of who is in office. I think it¹s best to pick somebody who has got fresh
new ideas, because evidently the ideas we have right now are not working. I
definitely think our foreign policy is one thing that really stands out, of
course, with all the wars we are involved in and with all the potential wars
we could be involved in, having a candidate that can really bring the
parties to the table and accomplish what we really need to accomplish so
that we don't end up in another war.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick
MALE
AGE - 59
PARTY AFFILIATION - Republican
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - McCain
WHY- I like him a whole lot better than a socialist.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE ‹ (Declined)
WHY ‹ (Declined)
SLOTS VOTE - Yes
WHY ‹ (Declined)
EARLY VOTING - No
WHY ‹ Increased possibility of fraud.¹
WRAP-UP COMMENT ‹ Socialist. That's Barack [Obama], I know so. Because when
you overtax people, take their money and give it to people who aren't
working - earning their keep, it's kind of like he said spread the wealth,
its socialism, classic.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick
MALE
AGE - 48
PARTY AFFILIATION - Democrat
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY ‹ Because obviously the change and the opportunity to support some of
the things he believes in - his enthusiasm to make change and make a
difference. He¹s not afraid to get in there and fight. I feel different
voting for Barack. There¹s encouragement now, there is hope, there¹s hope in
the air. It kind of energizes everything. Today is going to be an excellent
day.¹
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE ‹ Jennifer Dougherty
WHY ‹ She's a local business owner so I know her from that aspect. She was
also Mayor. She understands the heartbeat of the community and what¹s going
on. She's one of those Irish strongholds, she doesn't sway, she doesn¹t care
what people think in terms of sticking to her guns and being able to
represent our area, she's definitely going to fight for it.
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY ‹ You're talking two different things - education and slots. If you came
out and said okay, we want slots because we want to generate more revenue,
but when you try to use people's passion for education, education and slots
are totally different. If you want to talk education, then let¹s talk
education.
EARLY VOTING - Yes
WHY ‹ I thought we had it here, matter of fact, my business partner came out
yesterday to vote. I'm kind of mixed. It is nice because you can actually
plan your week to do it instead of making adjustments on the actual day.
WRAP-UP COMMENT ‹ I realize over my short life, my 48 years, we've gotten in
the habit of letting other people make choices, other people to make
decisions. A lot of people make choices by default. I don¹t believe we
really look at our choices, we don¹t dig into the consequences of our
choices. This is a great opportunity for people to take control of our
destiny.
LOCATION and PRECINCT- Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick
MALE
AGE ‹ 68
PARTY AFFILIATION - Democrat
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY- I started out as McCain. He turned me. His attitude, his outlook on the
country - hand in hand, lockstep with Bush. You know if you look at the
candidates, and the vice-presidents, you gotta be realistic about this. What
if something happens to Obama? Joe Biden, Joe Biden was my pick years ago
and then Sen. McCain, he looks very fragile and his vice-president, she
looks like a kid and I don¹t think she has any experience. I think it was a
political ploy. I think Obama picked Biden because he doesn¹t have any
experience and I think Obama did what was right for the country.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE -- Jennifer Dougherty
WHY -- I¹ve been a supporter of her for years and years and years. She¹s
bright, she¹s different, she¹s young. I like her attitude. We¹ve got an old
boy system around here - I don¹t know if you¹ve noticed.
SLOTS VOTE - No
WHY - (Declined)
EARLY VOTING - Yes
WHY - You ever notice, the television. Early voters get their vote in there
- probably about as honest as you can get. Why did they change the times for
California because the East Coast was dictating who would win. People like
winners.
WRAP-UP COMMENT - You got to be careful who you get in there. It ain¹t willy
nilly anymore. Things are getting tight and they¹re gonna get worse too.
LOCATION and PRECINCT - Evangelical Lutheran Church, Frederick
FEMALE
AGE - 31
PARTY AFFILIATION - Democrat
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - Obama
WHY - I think he definitely represents a lot of what I believe in ... I work
for a non-profit organization and I definitely believe he would do a lot
more for the environment than McCain would. Also as a lesbian, he's
definitely much more supportive of (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender)
rights than McCain is."
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE - Jennifer Dougherty
WHY - She is definitely a positive direction for Frederick. If we're talking
about change -- the change that Frederick needs, she's working on creating
alternative energy, job creation for Frederick and she's definitely on the
side of the consumer, trying to help with our credit crisis and housing
crisis. She has a strong history. She was the first female mayor of
Frederick so she's def had a proven track record. Its just time to get
Bartlett out of Congress. He's been there for so long. It's just time for a
change and that's why I support Jennifer.
SLOTS VOTE - Yes
WHY - This was a contentious issue in my household. We ended up supporting
slots, which I don't think is necessarily in line with all of the party's
beliefs . . . I understand 50 percent goes to education which I am for and
I definitely think the county education needs more money. I'm not
necessarily a gambler and I wouldn't participate in it myself, but I do
recognize that it's a necessary evil. That's personally where I fall.
EARLY VOTING - Yes
WHY - I was a little jealous of my friends in other states that got to cast
their ballot early so I think the more access we can get to bring people to
the polls the better."
WRAP-UP COMMENT - I definitely always supported Obama but my household
strongly is Republican. We had some very contentious arguments in our
household, and I helped convince them that Obama was the way to go. So
they're all die-hard Republicans voting for Obama in this election.
LOCATION and PRECINCT - Fountaindale Elementary School, Hagerstown
MALE
AGE - 65
PARTY AFFILIATION - Republican
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE - McCain
WHY - The reason why is that I just don't trust Obama. I just don't trust
him. He's silver-tongued and I have a lot of faith in McCain. I think he's a
true American hero so I trust him to take care of America. I'm confident and
happy to be an American. It's trust and that's what it comes down to.
CONGRESSIONAL VOTE - Jennifer Dougherty
WHY - I think Bartlett has been there for like six or seven times and
basically he's been an absentee congressman for me. I haven't seen him
around Hagerstown. I can't tell you what he's done, he's not gotten the
power, he's really weak and ineffective.
SLOTS VOTE - Yes
WHY - I'm an ex-educator, basically I want (the money) to stay here rather
go here in Washington County than go to West Virginia, I know we've lost a
considerable amt of money. I've heard people go to Charlestown to spend that
money. Also think that it will benefit western Maryland, particularly Geary
and Allegany Counties. I think they could use it best.
EARLY VOTING - No
WHY - "It would cause problems and make it that much more diff to keep track
of the vote. The system works well enough, I don't know that we need to
expand it to do that."
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