DEWITT, N.Y. (NCC News) – For many voters, Election Day can mean choosing between candidates that don’t fully represent the needs of the voter. For a DeWitt man, frustration with those choices has never been enough to keep him home.
Steven has been voting for more than six decades. Now 80 years old, Steven voted for the first time in the 1964 election and has voted in the presidential and midterm elections ever since.
While Steven’s participation has stayed consistent, the voting process has changed tremendously.
“Everything electronic has made it easier and faster,” Steven said. “Much more convenient, I think.”
When asked whether there was one specific issue that brought Steven to the polls this year, Steven said no, instead expressing frustration with politicians and the choices available to voters in this election cycle.
“I think any politician that talks is lying,” he said.
However, Steven’s distrust did not keep him from making a choice in the governor’s race. He said he weighed the candidates and chose the better of the two even though neither had fully won him over.
“I voted for governor because I think that neither candidate was good, but one was better than the other,” he said.
For Steven, being unhappy with the options in elections has never been a reason to abstain from voting. When asked what he would say to people who choose not to exercise their right to vote, he answered directly.
“Well, I think they’re very narrow-minded if they don’t vote,” he said.
Listen to our report about Rob Whelan, who says he voted with the country in mind, not party lines.
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At the DeWitt fire station, there’s been a steady stream of voters. Poll workers say the turnout has been good for this midterm election. Rob Whelan is one of many voters who cast his ballot today. He says he’s voting with the whole country in mind, not along party lines.
“Well sure, you look at the climate for today when it comes to the country everything else yeah, you want to vote what’s best for the country and not just your party or whatnot so I chose what was best and that’s basically what it is. You gotta do it every four years presidentially, or every two years for the midterms”, said Rob Whelan.
Whelen says his vote is not based on one race or one issue–he would rather look at the bigger picture. I’m Patrick Ramage, NCC News.