KNPR news director Adam Burke and reporter Veronica Zaragovia visited the polls to get a sense of what voters are thinking this Election Day. Who did voters give their support to and why?
Dara York, a 31-year-old hairstylist voted for Obama because, she said, “Health care is one of the biggest for me. I’m one of those people who don’t have insurance, so to have everyone get health care when needed – I think that will make a difference.”
Barry York, a 32-year-old record label owner also voted for Obama. “Ever since he’s been in office, it’s definitely changed with these last four years. The economy is not better, but it’s grown. There’s so many things he’s touched bases on, that touch me personally. And the main thing, it’s not a color issue, he’s actually in there doing work and I can actually see what’s being done on the forefront.”
Clarita Granada, left, who works at the MGM Grand, and Ruperto Roque, Jr., a taxi driver, voted for President Barack Obama at Las Vegas High School on the southeast side of the city. Roque became a U.S. citizen in 2012 and voted for the first time as an American.
Curtis Brawdy, who is 46 and unemployed for medical reasons, voted for Mitt Romney, “Because I’m a conservative and I don’t appreciate the lack of leadership that’s been going on for the last four years and I don’t blame Obama for all the problems that are in this country, just for the fact that he failed to do basically what I think was anything to correct everything. Basically that his particular policies, not the man himself, but the policies, were wrong for the country.”
Thomas Perry, a crane operator, also voted for Romney. “It’s all about jobs. There’s a lot of people I know that aren’t working. Obama’s not doing anything about it – he had both houses of congress for two years straight and he didn’t do anything but push that health care bill. I am working, thank goodness, but like I said, a lot of people I know aren’t working.”
Emmeline Writsman is an 18-year-old first-time voter who voted for Obama and Heller. She based her presidential decision on a survey she did and Heller on advertisements. “For Dean Heller and Shelley Berkley I heard a lot of advertisements about Dean Heller should be Senator. I don't know most of the time I just heard Dean Heller, Dean Heller so I thought, OK, Dean Heller.”