“It is extremely important to vote, it’s one of the only voices we have,” said voter Jeff Hovis.
“We need to exercise that, something that is really important to me — I’m against abortion, I know that is a hot topic right now, it has always been a hot topic with me, but I am really not a one-issue voter, I look at an overall,” Hovis said.
Hovis also said he could remember when his dad and a neighbor had conflicting political views, “around election time they were like mortal enemies, but when there was something in the community that they needed to work together on they were best friends, it’s doesn’t seem like that anymore, it seems like if you don’t agree with me I can’t be your friend and it is very unfortunate.”
Gaelan White said there wasn’t one specific issue on the ballot that brought him to the polls Tuesday, it was more about fulfilling his civic duty.
“We have a choice to vote or not, but it’s that choice that really affects the country, it is important to keep going forward to choose what we believe in ourselves, not what some politician or a media celebrity says, what we say ourselves whether it’s Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or anyone else,” said White.
In order to be an educated and responsible voter, White said he researched the amendments before going to the polls. “We have weed shops around town and across Missouri, if we’re going to have them we might as well be making revenue off them, while I am personally against recreational drugs I think it is a choice other people can make if responsible. I’m not talking hard core drugs, but stuff like alcohol, tobacco and weed, if they can do that responsibly then that’s fine,” said White.
“It is important to vote to let our voice be known and to make sure that we have the representation in government that we want,” said voter Matthew Clanahan. “I voted on amendment three and that was a big thing that brought me out today — hoping for a good result there.”
Most voters had the same response to the question of the importance of voting stating it was a duty and a privilege and while some came out specifically for certain issues on the ballot, most stated they were faithful voters.
“I vote every time, it’s important, you gotta have your word,” said Dannette Findall.
“I think it is important for all of us to vote because that, as an American citizen is our privilege and I think our duty — to make our voice heard,” said voter Wally Duncan.
“I believe either way you vote you need to come out and be thankful you live in a country where you can,” said Jason Whitson.
“It is our God-given right to vote and we don’t have anything to complain about if we don’t get out here and vote,” said voter Katherine Osborne, who went on to say that amendment three was important to her, “it’s been too long, they need to go after bad guys, the big guys and the bad stuff and leave this little weed alone, I have fibromyalgia and the chew ables and edibles are much better for pain than opiates, I am 73, I work full time and that is my help,” said Osborne.
Elvis Williams had the same views as many others, “if you don’t vote you have nothing to complain about when they pass a law or don’t pass a law if you don’t vote. If you want your voice heard you vote.”
Twenty months of misery is what David Letassy said encouraged he and his wife, Carla, to hit the polls early Tuesday morning.
“We always vote, even for local school board elections and stuff like that, it’s one of our few rights and we need to exercise that,” said Letassy.
“You can vote on constitutional amendments because the Missouri House and the Senate, they couldn’t make up their mind on any of those things so it got shoved to the voters and rightly so,” said Letassy, The couple agreed, “anytime you change the Constitution it is really important.”
“We all need to have a say in what is going on in our country, I saw something recently and it really resonated with me, you can’t really wait for perfect legislation to be on the ballot to vote, it’s more like a chess move in the right direction,” said Leslie O’Connor.