Campaign 2022: What motivates you to vote?

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania primary election on May 17 will determine whose names are on the ballot in the Nov. 8 general election.

There is a lot at stake in Pennsylvania: a crisis of gun violence, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, equity in education, abortion rights, election integrity, and infrastructure to name a few top issues.

Gov. Tom Wolf is on his way out of Harrisburg, and a pack of Republican candidates are trying to keep the presumed Democratic candidate, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, from taking his place. And with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey’s retirement, the race for his seat has become one of the most competitive midterm elections in the country because it will help determine which party has control of the U.S. Senate.

We asked voters from all walks of life — Republicans, Democrats and Independents — about what matters to them as the primary nears.

At 89 years young, Leon Anderson from Exton is well-versed in this year’s ballot. He’s been registered to vote since he was 18. His father was involved in local politics as part of the West Chester Borough Council, so voting has always been important to him.

Part of what drives him to the polls is the negative side of it: “I’m passionate about seeing people doing stuff to line their own pockets. I’m seeing people who make promises and then they don’t go on it.

“I see the ones who are veterans but then I say, ‘they’re swine,’ ” said the retiree, who was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. Politicians may say what they mean, he argued, but “they’re not going to do anything.”

As a veteran, gun rights are a big issue for him. He is licensed to carry, but he thinks people should take a second look at the Second Amendment.

“It says for a militia. It doesn’t say ‘Hey Joe, you can have a gun in your hand, in your pocket. It’s not true.”

Related

Pa. Democratic Senate candidates: Where they stand on abortion, electability

Paula Anderson is a realist. With the world changing fast around us, she knows the ticket may not always go the way she would like.

“It was much easier when we didn’t have social media,” she said. “You have too many people who like to put negative stuff out there.”

Like her husband, Leon, she’s passionate about the issues, particularly the “waste of monies.”

“I don’t understand why [politicians] don’t understand that people need health care. If they don’t get anything else, they need health care. I grew up with a mother that didn’t have that, so I understand what is needed. That is one of the most important benefits that can be offered.”

Part of that health care is the recent toss-up of legal abortion. “[Politicians] don’t have the good sense that the good Lord gave them, and they’re not women so they don’t care. If they were women, they would understand.”

Several states have plans in place to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Pennsylvania does not, but it could still happen.

“And thank God that Mr. [Pat] Toomey” — the Republican U.S. senator of Pennsylvania — “decided to retire. That could happen anywhere, including here.”

Retired realtor Nancy Buchanan from Willistown Township, Chester County considers herself to be on the political left of her peers.

"I'm a moderate. I'm not really in the Trumpster gang."

"I think a lot of my friends are, and it's a shame, but it becomes a topic you don't even discuss because people get angry about it," she said.

Buchanan said the issues of abortion rights and crime have compelled her to vote this year.

"Pro-choice says my position. That pro-life thing is too far to the right. I think it's a woman's choice. I don't believe the government should even be involved," she said.

"I think we get back to law and order and enforce the laws, and I think we've got to get away from the liberal judges. I really am concerned about our cities. I just hate to see the crime get 15 minutes of the news each night. Who got shot? How many shootings."

Related

Pa. GOP Senate candidates and their political strategies

Bill Buchanan is a real estate agent from Willistown Township and married to Nancy. He, too, is a registered Republican, but struggles with the direction the party is headed.

"This election is important because I'm a Republican, and it's hard to find the kind of Republican voter candidate I want," he said.

"[I want], probably, someone who doesn't believe in tribalism," he added. "Doesn't espouse Trumpism.”

He said he voted for Joe Biden in the last presidential election, though he didn't think he was the best overall presidential candidate out there.

"I don't want to vote for Trump," he bluntly stated. "I don't think he's good for the country."

Buchanan said the main issues that brought him out involve crime and guns.

"My party is responsible for too many guns," Buchanan said.

"The Second Amendment is fine. But I don't think that the founding fathers even knew what an assault weapon was. I think that would help."

The former Delaware County Prison educator and counselor added that he often saw the same people returning to prison again and again.

"You could lessen crime tomorrow if you just don't put them back out on the streets," he said.

"Probably only about five or 10% of the people are committing the crimes. And we're making it a revolving door."

A retired U.S. Postal Service worker from Morton in Delaware County, Paulette Poole Phillips is motivated to get to the polls because she has concerns about safety nets that exist now, but might not exist for future generations.
"[Will they] be there for my children and grandchildren? Because it's starting to look like Social Security may not last for a lifetime, as it did for some of our parents," she said.

She also sees climate change leading her voting decisions.

"I want someone that believes [climate change] is happening," she added. "Not someone is saying that it's fake news, it's clearly not the fires, the floods, the ice melting in the glaciers."

Women's issues are critical for her, particularly abortion rights.

Poole Phillips has been an advocate for voters simply to head to the polls, regardless of their political affiliation.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem," she said.

"So the only way we can get things done is vote. Get involved on the local level."

Related

A voter guide to the 2022 Pa. U.S. Senate race

A South Philadelphia resident, Declan had not participated as often in past midterm elections, but the self-proclaimed left-leaning Democrat says he plans to vote on May 17.

Though he earns a good living from his dog-walking jobs, there’s one big thing it does not provide.

"I do not get health insurance from it," said Declan.

"If there were some type of actual comprehensive universal health care, it would benefit me quite a bit."

The abortion issue is also motivating Declan's voting decisions.

"It's pretty disgusting to think about what is happening in certain states with reproductive rights, and effectively criminalizing them," he said. "It's kind of like throwing us back to the Stone Age."

He admits, however, that the current political climate makes it hard to believe that the progress he hopes to see from the government will happen.

"I'm not too hopeful that it will change things," said Declan.

"It would definitely give some younger people hope that there's somebody who's actually fighting for the things that we wanted to get done. But at the same time, I don't know, I just don't feel too hopeful about it."

Like a lot of people, Cindy Zimmerman of West Chester feels like our country is deeply divided.

“I’ve never been afraid to be an American before, but when you hear that groups are forming to go and kill politicians that they don’t agree with — I wasn’t raised that way.”

Equality and freedom of speech were rooted in her heritage — she is a direct descendant of Roger Williams, the founder of the state of Rhode Island.

“He came to Rhode Island to found Rhode Island for religious freedom,” she said, an issue that has permeated generations up through the present day. “Now it seems like we’re getting better on the religious part of it, except that a lot of the religions are backing politicians. … The minute a church member mentions politics, that’s taxable.”

Although she’s only one vote out of millions, Zimmerman trusts the voting system.

“I’m only one vote. That’s it. My one vote, but my one vote has been made.”

Related

Pa. Republicans running for Senate face off in live debate

While voters nationwide are often polarized by party, Cassidy Lorenz of Manayunk is staying open-minded about the candidates and their platforms.

“Generally, we all do think of who our No. 1 should be or who we think it should be. My opinion has definitely been swayed in the past, learning more about a different candidate than what I maybe, initially, thought. And I think that’s a good thing, because it means that you’re still open to other suggestions.”

Voting in a local election may feel small, but that vote contributes to the grander scale, one in which she seeks some semblance of worldwide peace.

“It starts with one person,” she said. “No stone can be left unturned. I think we just have to attack everything little by little.”

In Philadelphia alone, for instance, violent crime rates have skyrocketed, and she said something must be done to initiate change.

For any skeptics who are unsure if their votes truly count, Lorenz reassured them.

“People all the time, especially in recent years, have been like, ‘Well, that would never happen. My vote doesn’t matter.’ And things have happened that I think people never thought would, so don’t ever think that your vote doesn’t matter.”

Working as a nanny, Kim Neiswender of Willow Grove says, she doesn't have a lot of time for politics. She gets her information mainly from politically savvy family and friends.

"My family starts talking — since I don't watch a lot of news and pay attention to a lot of news, I feel like they motivate me to start thinking about it," she said.

Neiswender voted in the 2020 presidential election, but she doesn't always vote in primaries or in midterm years.

She says the most important issues to her are health care and kids. This November, tax reform and COVID-19 mandates are two issues that are pulling her to the polls.

"I'm pretty laid back about it. I'm not all into the shots, even though I am vaccinated, because they need to be for my work," she said, "but the masks — I just am over. I'm over the social distancing. Just how I feel."

Related

Democratic U.S. Senate candidates talk gas tax, COVID-19, Ukraine, guns at debate

Denise O'Shaughnessy of Clifton Heights, Delaware County, says she identifies as a Democrat but she registered as a Republican years ago because people told her it would help her get a job.

Locally, O'Shaughnessy says, she is interested in cleaning up the streets -- "and not let people get away with just throwing trash all over the neighborhood. It drives me nuts, because I clean up the neighborhood all the time."

On a larger scale, she says abortion rights is probably her biggest issue right now.

"I don't think women's right to choose should be taken away from them at all," she said.

"Most of these are men making these decisions for women, and it's wrong."

With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, she says she is scared for young women.

"I just think it could be really, really difficult for a young girl. She gets pregnant. She doesn't know what to do. I mean, this could cause suicide and everything else, because she's left there without anyone to turn to."

She said since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, a lot of people have changed how they feel about politics. In some cases, it's causing political polarization and making America a scary place to be for some people.

"My boyfriend hates all Republicans. It's such a shame. And that's not me. I think everybody deserves a chance," she said.

She mentioned the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and states where legislatures have placed restrictions on abortion and access to voting.

She says the midterm election this year is "extremely important," and she believes a lot of people will be motivated to vote.

"Things are happening that I don't think should be happening in this country at all."

Michael Boscaino, a business owner from Exton, says he votes in every election, and voting has become increasingly important as he gets older.

He says he usually votes a straight Republican ticket, and he isn't following any particular candidates at the moment, preferring to do his research as it gets closer to Election Day.

He says border security is his No. 1 issue.

"One of the primary things I worry about is our safety as Americans."

A big issue locally for him is gun violence, especially in the city. "It's way too bad. And it seems like it never gets any better."

He says the COVID-19 pandemic isn't really an important factor for him and his family in this election.

"We have our own things we do at home, making sure we stay safe. I've given up on the American public's ability to [work] together and keep everybody safe. Everybody has their own theories and feelings? I don't think so. I've given up and we just do our thing, and we stay safe."

Related

A voter guide to the 2022 Pa. governor race

Mount Airy resident Ionye Smith says while she votes every year, she doesn't usually think too deeply about politics.

"I'm one of those Democrat straight down kind of people," admits the 33-year-old talent acquisition manager.

Nonetheless, there is one issue on which she focuses. "Gun violence, just violent crimes," she tells us. "People are dying at a ridiculous rate due to gun violence."

Smith says her ideal candidate will tackle crime by ending the school to prison pipeline and expanding after-school programs, especially for youth of color in the region.

Safety is a general concern for Smith, beyond crime. She also favors candidates who take COVID-19 seriously. "Whoever wants us to keep the masks on is good," she says, adding she doesn't believe it's safe to remove masks in confined spaces, like airplanes, just yet.

Ukraine is the furthest issue on her mind. Smith says she prefers a candidate who focuses on issues at home.

"I mean, I get it. And I hate that things are happening across the globe. But … we're all fighting a war here, in the city, in the states, and in the United States, especially as a Black person."

25-year-old Natalie Simunek is a registered independent voter who believes elections are "pretty important."

But she has never voted.

The Manayunk resident, who works in health care, feels she doesn't know enough to vote. "And I don't feel I'm trying to know enough," she admits, though she says getting the right information from the right sources is important to her.

She's not exactly sure what she wants from a candidate either, outside of a general sense. "Someone who actually does what they say they're going to do," Simunek says.

However, Simunek says she does believe a candidate can change policy, and her quality of life. And she hopes for a candidate who can deliver peace, particularly in Ukraine. She just doesn't know how.

"To be honest, I am not very politically in tune," she says. "But I guess, just figure something out, so everything can just be peaceful."

Related

Why Pa. primaries could be highly competitive, especially down the ballot

Nail technician Tuan Vu has a lot of opinions about politics. One of them is the importance of healing the division between Americans.

"We're so divided. We used to be a nation of leading the world, of fairness ... now, we're a laughing stock," Vu says. "The next president should bring the people together."

He says for someone to get his vote, they need to work to make things fairer for all, such as, "changing the voting laws a little bit, so more people can get voting rights, redo our justice system for the marijuana laws ... just making it fair for [people of color]."

39-year-old Vu came to America three decades ago, and now lives in Point Breeze. He says he supports lowering taxes on corporations in order to lure more jobs into America, but at the same time, he also supports higher taxes on the rich.

"Tax the rich people a little bit more, and let the poor slide a little bit," he says. "But when somebody's making $30,000 and you're taking [$10,000], that's ridiculous. And when someone's making a million, you're not taking as much because of all the write-offs. That's not fair."

Racial justice and income inequality are issues motivating Vu to vote, but he hasn't found a candidate yet that moves him as much. "It's a tough topic for a lot of people to tackle, and a lot of candidates are shying away from it," he says.

The issue he's paying the most attention towards, when it comes to local elections, is gun violence. "Kids are dying on a daily basis. Where's the change we need?" he asks.

"It's like a war zone. What is different from Ukraine than it is here in Philadelphia? My kid can't go outside to play, they have to stand inside the house all day. And so, pandemic or no pandemic, there's no difference now."

Still, he votes in primaries and midterms, and this year will be no exception. Vu says change needs to start from the ground up, and the only way to make it happen is to get out and vote.

"If you don't do it, your vote don't count. And if they put somebody else here you don't like, you can't really say anything about it," he cautions.

Learn more about the potential implications of the Supreme Court's impending ruling on abortion rights.