Infignos Media - Calhoun County voters cite wide range of concerns

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Calhoun County voters cite wide range of concerns

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Calhoun County residents went to the polls today to cast their votes in the Alabama primary election with the Republican nominee for president still undecided.

With Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul still battling to reach the 1,144 delegates needed to win the party’s nomination, the Alabama primary could have an impact on who remains in the race.

Polls close at 7 p.m.

Voters filed in and out past dozens of campaign signs at Saks High School. Many of them cited the economy and gas prices as the issues most important to them.

Cheryl Carroll, a registered Republican, said she cast her vote for Romney because she thinks he will turn to God for guidance when making decisions on important issues, which she said appeals to her Christian values.

Carroll said she considers the poor economy and, in general, the state of the country as the most pressing issues fac-ing the nation. She was most passionate, though, with her thoughts about America’s foreign policy.

“I’m not one for just going and jumping into wars,” she said, “and we’re in enough of those already.”

Other voters were not as convinced as Carroll in their choice for the Republican candidate for president.

Carolyn Brooks, 72, said she voted for Romney delegates on her ballot, but couldn’t commit herself to voting for any Republican candidate for president.

Brooks, who voted for President Barack Obama in the 2008 election, said she would consider voting for him again this year. She said the economy, health care and the war in Afghanistan were the most important issues for her.

“I want us to be great the way we used to be and get our boys out of Afghanistan and all those places,” she said. “I just don’t believe in that war, never have.”

A self-described moderate, Martha Waldrip, 78, said she votes for the person she likes and not along party lines. She said she voted for Santorum, although she doesn’t agree with him on every issue.

“He has some issues that maybe I don’t see eye-to-eye with him,” she said of Santorum. “Gingrich, he’s tried it be-fore. I don’t care for him. He’s a big teddy bear playing politics, I think.”

More than anything, she said she is concerned with the decline of morality in the country.

“It’s just dog-eat-dog. It’s greed, and you don’t care,” Waldrip said. “It’s just ‘get me in office and I’ll do this.’”

Across town at the Anniston City Meeting Center, the turnout was much lighter than at Saks High.

Raymond Ervin, a 42-year-old registered Democrat, said he voted for Romney because he believes the former Mas-sachusetts governor is the right man for the job.

“I think he has a good, solid plan in place, and I feel like he’ll do the right thing by the American people,” said Ervin, who added that Social Security was the issue most important to him. “I don’t got anything against Obama though. Romney will have a better game plan than Obama does.”

While the contest for the Republican nominee for president grabs national attention, some Calhoun County voters were more focused on local races.

Patsy Talley, a registered Republican, said she was interested in the education system and wanted to make sure she voted for the candidates she believed in for the Calhoun County Board of Education, where 19 Republican and three Democratic candidates were vying for seven at-large spots.

“I’ve got three grandchildren, and I want to make sure that they get the best representation that they can,” she said. “The teachers, their salaries, and the fact that we help so much. We have to give so much during the year, and that’s fine. But I don’t think the teachers should have to have so much out-of-pocket either, so maybe they can help with some of that.”

Eric Caldwell and his mother, Charlotte, were concerned about corruption on both the national and local levels.

“They ought to fire every one of them,” said Eric of the city council members. “People look at us, and we’re a joke. People’s laughing at us, laughing at our city council, laughing at our city. It’s a joke, man. Absolutely a joke.”

Both Caldwells said they cast their vote for Gingrich because they believe he has a plan to bring down gas prices.

“We want to get Obama out of there,” said Eric. “Absolutely. Whatever it takes.”

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Keywords: Alabama, Calhoun County, Republican, votes, polls, election

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