Evadene: “I’ve been voting since I was 19 years old. I grew up in Western Pennsylvania. My father was a coal miner. I grew up with the Ku Klux Klan
and not being able to sit on the bus. So I’ve been waiting for this.”
Deidre: “I’ve worked at this polling station before and I have NEVER seen lines like this. It’s fantastic! I am so impressed by the clarity, the precision and
the organization of this campaign. This is the first time I have ever seen this kind of unity. It’s the spirit in which Obama is working together with
other people that makes this so impressive for me. I was thinking if the city council was run so efficiently, New York would be a better place.”
“This is historic! I know I’m not that old and I didn’t
really participate in the Civil Rights Movement, but I didn’t expect to see a Black man as president in my lifetime, especially someone who is so qualified and really seems to be right for the country. It says so much about where we are going as a country. I just feel great about it.”
“I’ve been at this polling station since 6:20 a.m. and I’ve never seen it like this. I’ve lived here and voted at this polling station my entire life and usually I just walk right in and I’m out in ten minutes. Now, I’ve been here 45 minutes already. But it’s not so bad.
“I don think this election is in the bag, but I feel pretty positive because I’m hoping Obama wins. The country needs a new direction. We need to get back to the feeling that America is a good country instead of the rest of the world thinking we’re evil. I think Obama can restore the feeling that America is a place where good things happen.”
“I came out at 6:30 this morning and stood in line for an hour. I have never come out this early before. But I was a little hurt after the 2000 election.
You vote and then you find out your vote doesn’t mean anything. So this year I had to get out of bed extra early to cast my ballot.
“We have the most dynamic candidate we’ve had in a long time, regardless of the race factor. As a rule, I don’t usually trust politicians, but Obama seems to have a lot of integrity and honesty to him and I really appreciate that. It’s like a breath of fresh air. No politician can do everything they
say they are going to do, but I really believe he is going to try.”
“It took an hour and 15 minutes; I didn’t mind waiting at all. It was a proud, family experience. I was impressed that the line went around the block…folks didn’t procrastinate at all. I took a few photos because I’ve never seen the lines so long in years; others did the same. It was a positive and uplifting the moment I voted. I felt like a winner. I also reflected on how hard others have fought for this opportunity, and I did it again, that is, made them proud!”
“My voting experience was inspirational. Seeing the amount of people waiting, elderly women with canes who were telling me that they never thought they’d have this opportunity, that this was the proudest moment of there lives. It brought tears to my eyes. We all stood on line together, all races and economic classes—proudly realizing that we are all apart of MLK dream—and that we are finally living up to what this country could truly be.”
