DeWitt voters remain hopeful that young voters will show out for this year midterm elections.© 2022 Miles Walker

2022 Election

DeWitt Voters Hopeful For High Turnout Among Younger Generation

By Miles Walker

Video

ANCHOR: THERE’S BEEN A HIGH VOTER TURNOUT AT THE PEBBLE HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH—THE POLLING PLACE SITE IN DEWITT–THIS MORNING. HOWEVER, SOME VOTERS ARE WORRIED ABOUT WHERE THE YOUNGER GENERATION STANDS IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS THIS YEAR. DEMOCRACY IN ACTION REPORTER MILES WALKER HAS THE STORY.

REPORTER: ACCORDING TO VOTERS LIKE LARRY LOEB–A CNY RESIDENT AS WELL AS THE PRESIDENT OF A SIGNAGE COMPANY IN NEDROW–THIS YEAR’S ELECTION DAY RESULTS WILL HINGE HEAVILY ON THE YOUNGER GENERATION.

LARRY LOEB: “I’m a little nervous of the younger generation and what they’re thinking. That’s not to say that obviously all are bad, but I just think they’re a little too quick to jump on a bandwagon, and the bandwagon seems to be what the republicans are putting out there.”

REPORTER: WHILE THERE’S SOME OLDER VOTERS SUCH AS LARRY LOEB WHO’RE HOPING TO SEE MORE LIBERAL SUPPORT FROM THE NEWER GENERATION, THERE ARE ALSO VOTERS SUCH AS JENNIFER WILBER WHO’RE HOPING TO SEE AN INCOMING RED WAVE.

JENNIFER WILBER: “Definitely voted all republican, up and down the board. That’s about it.”

REPORTER: AS VOTERS CONTINUE FILING INTO THE CHURCH TO PLACE THEIR BALLOTS, LOEB HOPES THE YOUNGER GENERATION CAN LOOK PAST WHAT THE REPUBLICANS ARE DRIVING HOME FOR THE ELECTION.

LARRY LOEB: “Well, I’m looking at the big picture and I think that we have to stay democratic. We can’t let the ‘Trump-ites’ control the election and I think what they spew out is a bunch of garbage…I think we have to stay status quo and let the democratic government improve the conditions.”)

REPORTER: MIDTERM VOTING WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE PLACE HERE IN DEWITT UNTIL NINE TONIGHT. REPORTING FOR DEMOCRACY IN ACTION, MILES WALKER.

DEWITT, N.Y. (DIA) — Larry Loeb–the president of Signage Systems Inc. in Nedrow–has lived his entire life in Central New York and seen over three decades worth of Election Day’s take place here, yet he thinks this year’s edition could be more pivotal than ever before.

“I’m a little nervous of the younger generation and what they’re thinking,” Loeb said. “That’s not to say that obviously all are bad, but I just think they’re a little too quick to jump on a bandwagon, and the bandwagon seems to be what the Republicans are putting out there.”

As voters continued showing up to the Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church to fill out their respective ballots, Loeb–who also told me he voted completely blue as he typically does for this year’s elections–said it’s all about the country’s future and whether or not enough millennial/gen-z voters will contribute towards advancing democracy.

“Well, I’m looking at the big picture,” Loeb said. “And I think that we have to stay democratic. We can’t let the ‘Trump-ites’ control the election and I think what they spew out is a bunch of garbage…I think we have to stay status quo and let the democratic government improve the conditions.”

While voters like Loeb are looking at the younger generation to further support democracy, there were voters like Jennifer Wilber–a DeWitt resident of 18 years–who hope that young voters side with the right end of the political spectrum this year.

“I hope we have that red wave come in, yes,” Wilber said. “That’s what I hope…Definitely voted all Republican, up and down the board. That’s about it.”

Polls close at 9 p.m. for the general election, and although there was a high voter turnout early among the older generation, I did not see a single voter from the newer generations come to fulfill their civic duties at the Pebble Hill polling place.

For Loeb’s sake, the hope remains that they not only will show out, but that they’ll make a vested effort to ensure that democracy is preserved in this year’s elections.

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