November 2nd 2010, Election Day: Voting Assignment

Voting Assignment
PHILADELPHIA WD 42 PCT 06

WARD: 42 DIVISION: 6

 

POLLING PLACE:

Wyoming Library

 

ADDRESS:

E Wyoming Ave & B St

Philadelphia, PA 19120

Voter #1 Gentleman

Interview Questions and Answers

 

1. What motivated you to come out and vote?

It’s a change. “I want to keep (one of the political parties) out of office.”  If my vote makes a difference, then yeah for sure I will come out and vote

 

2. Do you vote in every election?

“Yes I do!” It needs to be a change.

 

3. What changes do you hope to see in Philadelphia as a result of this election?

The streets need to be cleaned up, there is too much killing and I really would like to see the cops stop being “crooked”  “Just let justice be.”

 

4. What impact do you feel that your vote will have on the election?

I hope it has a big impact. The (one of the political parties) are being ridiculous, I don’t like that, them telling us what to do and all.

 

5. Did you learn about voting in school?

I learned about voting in the streets, and catching on to what was going on around me.

 

 

Voter #2 Neighbor/Close Friend

Interview Questions and Answers

 

 1.What motivated you to come out and vote?

I want to have a say on what’s going on in my country.

 

2. Do you vote in every election?

Yes.

3. What changes do you hope to see in Philadelphia as a result of this election?

“I know that all changes can’t exactly be mad because of the fact of it being so many changes needed to be done, but just one would be mad. I cannot say exactly what because there is just so many, but as I said one change would satisfy me “

 

4. What impact do you feel that your vote will have on the election?

“I’m going to be a winner. I’m a senior so I’ll get something good, I know that its going to count. If I get what I want, that’ll be great.“

 

5. Did you learn about voting in school? If yes, did that impact your willingness to vote today?

Of course, in school we would have like a play example of the presidential election and there we would be able to vote. Also in my house, I grew up with parents who thought of voting as a must; to have a say on what you thought in the country and what was going on.

 

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Voter #3 Woman

Interview Questions and Answers

 

1.What motivated you to come out and vote?

 The negative adds on television made me want to come out and vote so that can be changed.

 

2. Do you vote in every election? (How regularly do you vote?)

Almost every election, some reasons on why I don’t wouldn’t vote depended on the whether, how I felt, work.. etc Although I have been in general regularly voting since 1976.

 

3. What changes do you hope to see in Philadelphia as a result of this election?

I’m hoping that the mess in Philadelphia will get cleaned up as well as with the economy that needs to get “cleaned up” as well.

 

4. Did you learn about voting in school? If yes, did that impact your willingness to vote today?

Yes I did learn about voting in school, although no I do not think that, by that happening it has a impact on my willingness to vote today..

 

 

Reflection:

All right, so after my first interview, I had an altercation with the judge of elections, he found out about the assignment and asked me how old I was, I told him my age and he immediately responded to my answer with a stern “No you cannot be under the age of 18 talking about political subjects.” He then took my paper and said he was to call his DA and ask them about it. I honestly within that moment of time pondered on the statement. Being as though I’m not 18 I cannot have speak on political subjects? That’s very interesting, I actually feel otherwise. Why shouldn’t I have a say or speak upon political subjects? I do live in this country… I mean it just makes sense that I should, if in history class we speak on the subject of voting, which is a political subject, when I come to just ask a voter a few questions on the importance and meaning of voting to them, why would I have to be 18 to do such? Anyways, when the judge of elections, went to call his DA, his DA simply felt that it was all right, just to do the assignment I was sent out to do, in which in that case I finished interviewing some voters. I understood that it is never okay to ask a voter on whom they have voted for. That is just impolite, and I would never; that is personal and morally wrong. The assignment wasn’t to question any voter on whom they voted for, but for the voter to know their rights as a voter, and for the voter to be informed on the importance of voting.