The Bangor Daily News asked people leaving the polls after voting at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Tuesday the same single question:
“What is the single biggest motivating factor that’s brought you out to vote today?”
Their responses were diverse, surprising and candid. Here’s what people said.
“Doing my civic duty”. – Matt Morgan
“Hope.” – Martha Gladstone
“Reproductive rights for my daughters.” – Carolina Olarte-Rave
“Climate change.” – Jeff Loxterkamp
“I want Kamala Harris as our first woman president. She will help our country unite, and we need a new way forward.” – Gibby Gibson
“All the Maine-related stuff on the ballot.” – Derek Hayesville
“Genocide.” – Nick Micinski
“Fascism.” – Kham Kidia
“I have to think back to Athens. When Socrates was on trial. And today, we have two political rivals against each other. You have to think, ‘What’s the purpose? Why are we doing this?’ I’m Mexican-American, and I think of all the other immigrants who were detained in detention camps. I was in college when that was happening, and I just don’t want to repeat that ever again. All these mishaps in history are all interconnected. You have to think through your conscience. What do you want to feel when you wake up tomorrow morning? It comes down to things like that.” – Angel Loredo
“I’m not a big fan of either of the presidential candidates, but local elections matter. I feel like it’s important just to have the sense of citizenship and to come out to the elections. If you’re not voting in the national, you’re probably not voting in the local either, and the local is really the one that matters.” – Keegan Fitzgerald
