We are less than two months out from the November elections where voters will not only elect a new President of the United States, but members of Congress, state legislatures and critical local positions too.
This year, to help guide our election coverage, Central Florida Public Media has been doing a lot of listening. We’re listening in the form of surveys asking you what’s driving you to the poll -- or possibly keeping you away -- this election year.
Beyond the survey, we’ve also been doing a lot of in person small group meetings across our coverage area from Kissimmee to The Villages. The goal was to really find out what is driving people. Here’s what we’re finding:
Meet the Participants
Tom Unrath
At the age of 69, Tom Unrath said he’s been a card carrying Republican since he turned 18 years old. The Melbourne resident spent his career in the Air Force where he served as a chaplain for 22 years. Since leaving the service, he’s served congregations across Brevard County. Unrath said there are a number of issues important to him this election cycle.
“Whether it be a homeless situation or a school lunch program or whatever you want to talk about, how we care for each other. What is our healthcare system going to look like? What should it look like? And what are you going to do about the environment?”
Unrath said that over the years, the Republican Party has changed, and he’s not happy with where the party is right now.
Doug Bowman
Like Unrath, Doug Bowman, 68, spent his career in the armed services though he chose the Army. Bowman also identifies as conservative but the East Orlando resident said he feels left behind by his party.
“In my opinion, if you look today at the Republican Party, they’re driven by big corporations. They’re driven by wealthy donors who have an agenda that may not necessarily represent the opinions of the majority of the country.”
Bowan is a member of the League of Women Voters and said that instead of focusing on the issues, what he hears is a lot of name calling and endorsements, and not enough talk about policies. He said he’s looking to support candidates who understand that compromise is necessary to effectively lead.
David Walker
David Walker is a retired educator who moved to Florida about seven years ago. The 64-year-old resides in Harmony, Florida and is a registered independent who leans left. Walker said before moving to Florida, he identified as a Democrat and never gave any real thought as to why.
“It was almost like you voted [Democrat] because that’s what the family did. You kind of just went along with everybody else and that’s what the community did, that’s the way they voted.”
Walker said he made the change because he wanted to send a message to the Democratic Party that he would no longer vote that way just because. He said that while he does have an ideological leaning, his vote goes to whichever candidates outline policies that impact the issues important to him and the ones with good character.
Tiffany Jeffers
Our final participant is Tiffany Jeffers. She’s 42 years old and lives in Kissimmee with her husband and three children. She also runs a nonprofit called The Black Empowerment and Community Council.
She has gone in the opposite direction of Walker. For the first time, she’s hitched herself to a political party.
“I am a registered Democrat. I’ve been an independent for most of my life and this is the first year that I actually hung my hat on some party.”
Jeffers said education and housing are toward the top of the list of issues she is voting on this year.
She believes youth engagement is also key, as she has two daughters voting for the first time.
The Takeaway
Whether the conversation was about the economy or enshrining abortion to the point of viability into the Florida constitution, or concerns about civility amongst community members, one thing was clear -- no matter the political affiliation of the people around the table, they landed much closer on issues impacting their day to day lives than they originally thought at the onset of the conversation. They left hopeful.
We’ll hear more from this group of Central Floridians in the coming weeks about where they stand on the issues this election season and what’s concerning them about the state of our politics.
