SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — As residents came to the Toomey Abbott Towers polling center, many voters were aided by wheelchairs, walkers or canes. Their determination showed that voting for them is not just a choice, but an obligation.
Robert Steiger thought back on decades of political and social change as he went to cast his ballot. He expressed his skepticism about whether American democracy provides equal opportunities for all people as he reflected on his role as an older Black voter.
“There are two types of democracy,” he said. “There is one for us and one for them”
At 70 years old, he still makes sure that he is at the polling center each Election Day to exercise his right to vote. But the way he votes has evolved, he said. Steiger explained that he now places greater trust in local elections, where he can observe candidates’ active involvement in his community.
Despite acknowledging that opportunities for Black Americans have expanded over time, he questioned whether that progress translated into genuine equality.
“We have better opportunities,” Steiger said. “We can make more money. But as far as respect goes, no.”
But even in the midst of skepticism, there were pockets of hope. Troy Vasser brought his young daughter to the polling station. Vasser explained he wants her to know “she can make a difference in the political outcome.”
For him, voting is deeply connected to the sacrifices made by previous generations, particularly within the Black community.
“So many people of our nationality and race went through tremendous turmoil to have this right,” he explained. “It’s a right that blood has been shed for.”
Steiger and Vasser each had different perspectives on democracy. But they both shared similar sentiments around the question of what it means to have the right to vote.