What do Michigan voters think about the possibility of resolving the civil war in our country, and how we’re going to get better at it?
“I know for a fact there are thousands upon thousands of people that agree with every single one of us,” Martin said. “And if we’re able to talk and convey these things, this is democracy, what we’re doing right here.”
NPR asked the students if anything gave them hope after they’d sat down for the conversation. The prevailing answer was the discussion itself.
We have to worry about more than that, the main issue is that our democracy is going to end if Trump were to become president. Our institutions get damaged when we fail to maintain them.
“Are we not going to remember the slave debate that caused a civil war in our country, or do we?” asked Menon who is a member of the Michigan Army National Guard.
What then do they tell people who want to put democracy at risk, by throwing away their votes or helping pave the way for another Trump term? It is not a decision they make lightly or even proudly. Others were quick to dismiss the idea that this is an especially consequential election.
I have to vote for two people that I hate, two people I feel don’t represent me, and two people that are the oldest in American history. Martin said. It’s like, maybe there is a problem with our democracy. It can spread if we do not get enough people. And then, that’s change.”
The students feel taken for granted by Democrats, turned off by Republicans and dismayed by the way each party is campaigning on what to vote against.
Tracy said there weren’t good options for any of us. “We’re going to have to find other ways to show what we’re made of, because voting clearly doesn’t seem to be a tool that’s working right now.”
Source: Many in Michigan don’t know how — or whether — they’ll vote in the general election
Organizing Michigan Students’ Anxions about Biden’s Candidate’s Choice in Nov. 14: The Detroit Campus Learned by Morning Edition
Some students said they will ultimately vote for Biden in November despite their reservations. Several described it as a form of harm reduction, comparing it to Biden’s views on abortion access and LGBTQ rights to that of Trump.
The group Listen to Michigan’s followers were not asked to stay home from the Democratic primary. They asked them to vote for uncommitted.
“If someone doesn’t want one of these things, what are they supposed to do?” she asked. “It’s not like we have a choice. We are being pressured to not vote at all.
Rania Umer, 19, does not think she’ll vote. She doesn’t support Trump, citing Jan. 6 and his human rights track record. She disagrees with Biden’s response to the war because he hasn’t called for a permanent ceasefire or stopped military aid to Israel.
The students range in age from 19 to 30 and hail from various parts of Michigan. They are majoring in global studies. There are many unhappy with the choice likely to befall them in November.
Wayne State University’s Detroit campus was mostly quiet last Friday at lunchtime, but not at the long, narrow table where six undergraduates gathered to share their election anxieties with Morning Edition.
When Will I Get to Live? Velma Matthews, 76, Announced: The Michigan Voters Disillusioned by Biden Trump
Velma Matthews, 76, voted for Biden in 2020 and plans to do so again. She believes in his politics and thinks he’s a good person. But she’s not necessarily pleased with how the government is functioning.
While she doesn’t like Republican candidates, she still supports Biden. She doesn’t know who she will vote for or if she will ever cast a vote, she said in an interview.
Four years later, Braziel says she’s apprehensive about voting for Biden again. The Wayne State University senior, who also works full time, is upset that Biden hasn’t done more to address student loans. She acknowledges that he is not solely responsible for falling short of his promises, but that it’s an issue nonetheless.
“It doesn’t stop that from affecting my thought process of, when do I get to be a real adult?” said Braziel, who sacrificed an additional job in order to commit to her studies. When do I get to own a home? When do I feel stable enough to think about having kids?
“It doesn’t seem like any choice is really a good choice at all,” said Braziel. “It feels more so like you’re caught between the devil you know and the devil you don’t. It feels like both devils we know at this point in time. I’m not comfortable with either of them.
Source: Many in Michigan don’t know how — or whether — they’ll vote in the general election
Why did I don’t plan to vote last Tuesday? A NPR Morning Edition look at uncommitted metro Detroit voters in their teens and thirties
NPR’s Morning Edition spoke with many metro Detroit residents ahead of Tuesday’s primary who didn’t plan to vote because they assumed Trump and Biden’s victories were a foregone conclusion — an assumption that proved correct within minutes of polls closing.
Kelly: And what about younger voters? Uncommitted vote in the county where the University of Michigan is was higher than statewide according to the Associated Press results. So more voters who may skew younger voting uncommitted. How are you going to engage those voters, people in their twenties and thirties?
“In the last election, I remember feeling disappointed that I couldn’t vote, because it felt more meaningful then — it felt like a reaction against Trump,” said Addison Tracy, 21. “Rolling around to this election and being able to vote in it, with probably the same two candidates and two choices … I don’t feel like I’m voting for something that will make a difference.
A Michigan voter’s disappointment disappointed by Donald Trump: The legacy of her faith in his country’s most populous politician, CJ Sampson
Several churchgoers in their 70s also gave Biden mixed reviews, docking points for things like high healthcare costs and the amount of money the U.S. is giving to Ukraine. Biden’s age — arguably his biggest political vulnerability — was a deterrent for some and a nonissue for others.
Her husband, CJ Sampson, agrees. While he considers himself a liberal, he’s lost confidence in Biden. The 31-year-old wishes he had seen more police reform since voting for Biden in 2020, is torn about whether his life was better under Trump or Biden.
She said that they have this or have that, but still struggling with their food, utility bills, and medical coverage.
Sampson works for the state Department of Health and Human Services, helping administer EBT and Medicaid programs. And she said she’s seen firsthand how many people are applying for benefits compared to before the COVID pandemic.
Even though he is not certain who it will be, Deasia Sampson always makes it her duty to vote. She points to student loan forgiveness, inflation and funding of schools as her top concerns and is a mom of a three-year-old.
Source: Many in Michigan don’t know how — or whether — they’ll vote in the general election
The Zisslers: Black Michiganders Aren’t Too Disillusioned by Biden’s Reelection
Just 50% of Black adults nationally approve of Biden, down from 86% in July 2021, according to a December AP-NORC poll. Biden’s reelection is seen by Democratic strategists as key to Black Michiganders’ support waning.
“Growing up, I feel like I voted Democrat just because it just seemed like the thing to do,” he said. I would say now. I’m sort of more into politics and seeing exactly what both parties present, so it’s not just like a blind vote in a sense.”
Coleman- Byrd, a tax consultant who voted for Biden in 2020, says that he’ll decide his vote later in the campaign based on where things stand on issues like race relations and student loans.
Black voters in the city told NPR that they have lost faith in Biden. Several of them shared that they had not decided who to vote for in the general election, as they filed out of the church on Sunday.
They hope the candidates will do more to try to bring people together. They think the right person can do it but don’t think either one of them will be on the ballot this fall.
Above all, the Zisslers take issue with how divided the country is. They say they have lost friends due to politics. They feel that politicians in D.C. argue with each other instead of listening to the people they represent.
Source: Many in Michigan don’t know how — or whether — they’ll vote in the general election
How to Vote in the Michigan General Election? Shelly Vaughan and Matt, the fourth-generation autoworker, say they are frustrated by the paycheck and foreign aid
Both are also concerned about the prices of things like gas and groceries. Shelly’s 28-year-old son, Matt Vaughan — a fourth-generation autoworker — says he still struggles at times, despite the generous pay raise he got in the most recent union contract.
The two worry about immigration and foreign aid. She says she doesn’t understand why it can’t be figured out because she blames Biden for the record number of migrants crossing the southern border. Matt wants the government to stop sending money to wars overseas and do more to help people struggling at home.
“I will not allow anyone to tell me who to vote for,” Matt said. I’ll give you the information from everyone. But in the end, I will decide my own mind, whether it’s a union-endorsed candidate or not.
It’s a big deal for the candidate who was the first sitting president in history to join a picket line in support of striking autoworkers. It doesn’t mean that the UAW members will vote for it.
They can look to leadership of the United Auto Workers union for guidance on how to vote. UAW president Shawn Fain officially endorsed Biden last month, a coveted distinction in a state where support from blue-collar workers buoyed Trump in 2016.
Source: Many in Michigan don’t know how — or whether — they’ll vote in the general election
Shelly and Matt Zissler: Two Detroit area autoworkers who don’t know what to do next year to run their country
“I personally would like to see new people running,” Shelly said. If it’s the same two people, I feel like we are going to keep repeating what we’ve already been through.
A couple sitting at home in a small city near Detroit are not sure how they will vote in the upcoming election, but they wish they had different choices.
While their preferred parties were different, they all listed the economy, immigration, foreign Military aid and societal divisions as their top issues, and stated that neither Trump or Biden have done enough to resolve them.
There was a clear majority of Americans who are dissatisfied with the state of politics in the country, regardless of who their nominee is.
Interviews with eligible Detroit area voters help explain why enthusiasm is waning and what the leading candidates would need to do to win back voters.
For Shelly and Matt Zissler, 47 and 50, working on cars is in their blood. The third- and second-generation autoworkers met on the job and got married in 2019. They both voted for Trump the next year.
They were the first time that a lifelong Democrat voted Republican. She says it’s because she felt Trump was “mentally better to run our country.” Matt, a libertarian, voted for Trump before but felt that 2020 would be a very painful vote.
The Biden Campaign in Michigan: ‘Message has been received’: Biden’s campaign reacts to ‘uncommitted’ votes
In Michigan, a push to encourage voters to send President Biden a message about his refusal to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza may have worked.
All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly spoke to Mitch Landrieu — the national co-chair of the Biden campaign and former mayor of New Orleans — about the Michigan results, the campaign’s direction going forward, and how it plans to connect with younger, Arab American and Muslim voters.
I want to take this time to give my respects to the person who won the primary. Are you worried about the many people who are voting uncommitted?
Landrieu: Well, let me say this: there is no small number in an election that’s going to be razor thin close. So every vote matters, and the president understands that and knows that, and will continue to work on that and listen to what folks’ concerns are. … Every issue is complicated, and this is one of them that needs to be worked through.
Kelly: More than 100,000 people would be represented by the 13% who voted “uncommitted”. In a swing state in November, it’s not only a small number.
Joe Biden’s campaign reacts to uncommitted votes: 81 or 15 million? Landrieu: Is it better than Donald Trump?
Landrieu: Well, first of all, we’re just starting the campaign. In the first three years of his administration, Joe Biden created 15 million jobs. So I don’t know what’s more important, 81 [Biden’s age] or 15 million?
Kelly: Since you are co-chair of the Biden campaign, let me put to you directly the question that many voters tell us is on their mind, which is the president’s age. President Biden had his annual physical today [Wednesday]. There was no change from last year. I know you’re going to tell me the concerns about his age are overblown, that he’s sharp, that you’re with him all the time, that he’s up to the job. My question is, what are voters missing that that is not the image that comes across?
Landrieu: But let’s answer the direct question first. How fit is Joe Biden to be president of the United States? Very comfortable. His physical today shows that he’s as strong as an ox. The guy who’s got a real challenge, who eats a lot more from McDonald’s than anybody else, is Donald Trump.
Source: ‘Message has been received’: Biden’s campaign reacts to ‘uncommitted’ votes
Is Donald Trump Really that Cool? Joe Biden and the Numbers of His Misconceptions: 91 Is Mike Biden Just What He Wants
The age of your ideas is more important than the numerical age. Donald Trump’s ideas will bring us back to a time when we thought it was better than it was, but never was.
You can find another number here: 91. Donald Trump has been subject to criminal complaints for many years. Joe Biden has zero. Joe Biden is the choice for most Americans because he is the one who knows the numbers that affect people’s lives.