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Laura Kline was one of the first voters to arrive at Huntington Hall shortly after the polls opened at 6 a.m. She said she votes in every midterm election, which historically have had a lower turnout than presidential cycles.

“I voted today in order to protect democracy in the forthcoming elections,” said Kline, a Syracuse University alumna.

People voting in Syracuse took a focus on national issues, specifically regarding the economy, inflation and reproductive rights, during this year’s midterm election.

SU opened two voting stations this year, in Huntington Hall and the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus. Onondaga County used Corcoran High School as another polling location.

A voter at Corcoran High School, Chuck Gwynn, said he came out to advocate for democracy.

“We want to vote for people who believe in election results. We want to vote for people who don’t want to take rights away from other people. Those are the two main things on my mind,” Gwynn said.

Gwynn said his standards have been stripped down to the basics.

“It’s the most important thing, let’s not take people’s rights away and let’s continue to have elections where we still choose at all levels,” he said.

Some voters cited the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade as a reason for choosing to vote in this year’s midterms.

Aleaha Love, a 26-year-old local who had never voted in a midterm election before Tuesday, said she was compelled to vote to protect reproductive healthcare access.

“I want to feel like I have some kind of control over my body and my ability to access birth control,” Love said.

Charlene Bozzi, who voted at Corcoran High School, said that restricting women’s rights may create a “slippery slope.”

“I think that when women’s choices about their bodies are taken away that’s just a slippery slope to all kinds of other civil rights violations,” she said.

Other voters like Christopher Sargis, a voter at Corcoran High School, had concerns that centered on inflation and the economy. He said rising prices are making it a challenge to save money.

“I like to go on vacation every once in a while — I don’t go every year but I go once every couple years — but it’s hard to do that when you’re spending more on other things,” Sargis said.

Kim Ecceles said inflation influenced her vote. She said it’s difficult for young adults, like her own grown children, to make larger investments as they start their independent lives.

“It’s hard to travel with gas prices and we’ve got five kids that are struggling that all, as young people, are having problems buying cars, houses,” she said. “They’re trying to meet their day-to-day needs even though they should be up-and-coming adults.”

Emily Emmons, who voted at Goldstein, said she voted to protect the future for her nieces, who are 4 and 5 years old.

“I want them to grow up in a country where they feel safe, and I can control that by voting,” Emmons said.

News Editor Kyle Chouinard also contributed to reporting for this article.

Published on November 8, 2022 at 11:20 pm