Associated Press
By Jennifer C. Kerr
Associated Press
With the U.S. Senate at stake, millions of voters went to the polls Tuesday with a mix of concern about the nation’s future, skepticism about gridlock in Washington, and, for some, a little enthusiasm about the day.
Voters in Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina and elsewhere registered dissatisfaction with the choices on the ballot, saying they picked the best candidate they could in a cast of some so-so choices.
Others expressed disgust about Washington stalemate, saying change is desperately needed to shake up the nation’s capital — whether it is a shift to solid GOP control of Congress or a president who takes a harder line with the opposition. Others, such as Janet Saint-Aubin of Danville, California, weren’t quite so cranky at all on Election Day. Saint-Aubin said she liked voting because it’s “fun.”
Some quotes from around the nation.
BEST OF A HO-HUM CHOICE:
– In the closely-watched Kansas Senate race, Ron Buck, a 44-year-old independent, self-employed roofing contractor from Fairway voted for Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. Buck said of the candidates on the ballot: “They both seem kind of like leftovers you don’t want to eat, but he (Roberts) just seems a little bit better. I’m not crazy about either of them. I wouldn’t give either of them money.”
– George Butler voted for GOP congressional candidate Tom MacArthur in Toms River, New Jersey, but said he wished for better options.
“The Republicans are too much to the right, and the Democrats are too much to the left,” Butler said.
WASHINGTON SHAKE-UP:
– Julie English, a 54-year-old office manager, mailed her ballot in the Denver suburb of Arvada. She described herself as a conservative independent who voted for all of Colorado’s Republican candidates, hoping it would help turn control of the Senate to the GOP.
“It’s gone far to the left,” said English. “Under this administration, it’s totally going the opposite of what this country is founded on.”
