Jonah Gundrum, South Side Resident (and his dog Cash)
Q: What are your general feelings toward the election?
A: Fine. I’d say probably overhyped. I feel like every four years, they say it’s the most important election, and they can’t possibly keep getting more important.
Q: How are you getting your political information?
A: Mostly Twitter. I don’t really watch the news, but I do have a lot of political stuff pop up on Twitter and the For You (Page). I get texted about 12 times a day from different people saying, “Oh, sign up for this, sign up for that.” So, I’ve been begrudgingly getting information that way too.
Q: Are you paying attention to a particular issue or topic?
A: That would be decided in the presidency, not particularly. I don’t have one that’s most important. I follow more monetary policies, but that’s not anything that is really controlled by the president. So I feel like ads are pretty funny when they’re like, “Oh, vote for Trump or Kamala to save the economy.” That’s not really how it works.
Q: How are you deciding who to vote for?
A: That’s a good question. I don’t know. I think I’ll just figure it out the day of.
Dan Romia, Employee at Soltech
Q: What are your general feelings toward the election?
A: Terror. Grim terror. The idea of a second Trump presidency is haunting. I know I don’t look it anymore, but I grew up as an angry, punk rock, left-wing type of person. I’m much more mellow now, but I still want to help little people. I see that as the next step towards that grim future for us. It’s concerning to me.
Q: How are you getting your political information?
A: I get a lot of it from YouTube but from accounts like LegalEagle. So, actual legal sources that are looking at this and going, “That’s concerning.” And I’m like, “It sure is!”
Q: Are you paying attention to a particular issue or topic?
A: I’m deeply concerned about women’s reproductive rights. I want to help protect my friends and the little people from someone like a jackass billionaire with gold toilets. I’ve got a lot of queer friends, so LGBTQ rights issues are near and dear to my heart. I have the vast benefit of being a fairly intimidating-looking white dude, so I’m not going to lose much if (Trump) becomes president, but a lot of people who I care deeply about probably are, and that matters. That matters more than anything that would affect me personally.
Q: Are you planning to vote?
A: Oh, hell yes. I haven’t missed an election since 2003. I turned 18 a month after that election. I’ve voted in every election for 20 years now.
Laura Ray, North Side Resident
Q: What are your general feelings toward the election?
A: Worried. We don’t know what it’s going to be. It’s a lot of shit.
Q: Are you paying attention to a particular issue or topic?
A: The economy, because I have two young kids, so I have to change something in their lives — working a lot, finishing college or university, paying a lot of money for that, and they can’t afford to live.
Q: Are you planning to vote?
A: Yes, sure. Because if I want something to change, I have to (vote).
Q: Have you decided who you will vote for, and how?
A: Yes, (I decided) by investigating myself and feeling…I know.
Calvin Burton, Founder and Co-Owner of Penns & Needles
Q: What are your general feelings toward the election?
A: Both sides have strong points. Both sides have weak points. I feel like it’s going to be a mess either way. There are still a lot of divisions, and I’m not really a fan of that.
Q: Are you paying attention to a particular issue or topic?
A: The taxes. I’m self-employed, so stuff like that affects my bottom line and my kids. Everything else is secondary. That’s my main focal point.
Q: How are you getting your political information?
A: I stay away from the internet and all those videos. Anything I see that sparks my interest, I’ll go look it up myself and read. For one topic, I’ll look at a couple of different sites, and you can kind of feel out which ones are fake. Nowadays, you really don’t know what’s what. You can put anything on the internet and people will run with it. You just have to do your own research. Watching videos on Instagram is not gonna really help you very much.
Q: Are you planning to vote?
A: Yes, I’m going to vote. I’m definitely going to vote. The first time I voted I was 21, so I’ve been voting ever since — early 20s to now almost 42.
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