Across the country, early voting for election day has started and in Pittsburg, on Oct. 19, at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts, early voting was open for everyone, including students at Pitt State.
Don Pyle, a manager working the voting booths, is one of many who used the early access to cast his vote, and expressed the importance of it.
“We have the opportunity to choose who our leaders are, and it’s our chance to make a statement about what we want as far as government officials,” Pyle says.
Many people voiced similar sentiments, like Jackson Betoncino, who’s job was field organizing for his party before coming to vote.
“I think it’s important to think about who is speaking for you, and who is making decisions in your name,” Betonico says. “Your vote is your voice, and if you don’t use it, other people will use their voices to speak for you.”
Betonico adds that voting is an opportunity that people in generations previously didn’t have.
“Someone like me, who is African American, my ancestors fought to give me the right to vote,” he says. “It was casual for me to come down here to vote, but that wasn’t the reality in this country for a long time. I don’t want to take that for granted.”
Pyle expresses what changes he would want from the officials he voted for.
“I want them to help make it easier for people to afford basic living necessities, especially young people,” he says. “I want people to be able to afford housing, and I think they should work to make that available to everyone, not just the people who voted for them.”
Bentonico echoes the same thoughts on housing as well.
“Prices everywhere have gone up, but housing has been one of those things that’s been expensive for a really long time, and I think it’s an issue that sometimes gets brushed under the rug.”
Heather Horton, local restaurant owner of TOAST, chimes in on what she thinks her local politicians should be focusing on.
“I think that if our legislation could focus on representing the people instead of fighting with their constituents, that would be the best way to help our country move forward,” Horton said. “I’d also like to see more funding for education, and ways to help support small businesses.”
Betonico highlights what he would like to see out of his representatives as well.
“There’s a lot of things that I want our elected officials to focus on, but primarily the cost of living, and healthcare,” he says. “I want them to focus on why they’re here, which is helping people, and making their lives better. I think a lot of officials in office are a little detached right now from the everyday people who are voting for them, and I want them to think about the people who they represent.”
Betoncino hopes that other changes in Pittsburg could be made as well.
“I’d love to see more funding towards special education as well because I have kids, and one of them is special needs,” he says. “I’ve become acutely aware of how much projects that help special needs children are, so in the long run, I think it would be beneficial to focus on it.”
