Our next interviewee is Jay, a 65 year old caucasian male originally from Rhode Island, currently living in Connecticut. Jay identifies as a Roman Catholic and after completing high school Jay worked in the sporting goods industry and retail before retiring in 2019.
Q: Did you vote in the 2016 presidential election? If so what was your experience like?
JAY: Yes. I drove to designated polling/voting location, passed through voting registration, then filled out a computerized voting form at one of the individual private voting tables. I then proceeded to a voting machine and fed my completed voting form into the machine that then tabulates the counts as the form is fed into it.
Q: Have you registered to vote? If so, what was the process like?
JAY: Yes. When I registered a number of years ago, all I did was fill out a “Voter Registration Form”, bring it to my city clerk’s office with a state issued ID card (usually your driver’s license) and then I was registered. In turn, they contact your previous voting city/town to take you off that city/town’s voting registration list.
Q: Do you discuss politics with friends/family/classmates/co-workers/…? Why (not)? How?
JAY: Sometimes with other willing parties. However, there are factions that “only their opinion counts, so it’s their way or the highway!” Those folks are not worthy of an adult conversation.
Jay with his dog Jacoby
Q:Will you vote in the upcoming election? How?
JAY: Yes, I will go to the polls and vote in-person. Of course, using safe practices associated with COVID 19 wearing a mask, not shaking hands, using anti-bacterial solutions and safe distancing.
Q: What is important to you when selecting a presidential candidate? Why is this important to you?
JAY: Not being on the financial take or getting political favors from special interest groups
Q: How do you feel about the current state of politics in the U.S?
JAY: Most are afraid to publically state their voting intentions because of peer pressure of those who believe it’s their way or the highway
Q: What campaign issue(s) is do you feel strongly about? Why?
JAY: Law and order, economy, creating jobs, peaceful discussions and peaceful agreements globally
Q: Which media do you use to inform yourself about the election?
JAY: I watch local and national news casts on TV.
Q: How do you feel about the news coverage of the U.S. elections?
JAY: National Newscast coverage of national politics is biased at best against the President, whereas local news coverage appears to be neutral.
Q: Does this information vary in your region?
JAY: News does not vary within our region. However, local coverage does not appear to favor one candidate over the other.
Q: What do you feel foreigners don’t understand about the U.S. election?
JAY: The biased reporting of American news media and their reporters
Q: Have you followed the presidential race from abroad? How does that differ from your previous experiences in the U.S.?
JAY: I have not had the opportunity to follow the U.S. Presidential Election from abroad. So I do not have any idea.
Q: What would you recommend a German student analyze in your state?
JAY: How the larger cities in Connecticut, namely: Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, and Bridgeport remain heavily committed to the Democratic Party. Those living in the inner-cities will vote for whoever runs as a Democratic candidate. It could be a convicted criminal; a rapist; or a cartoon character like Mickey Mouse. The voters in those cities hardly consider the capability or integrity of the candidate when voting.