<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1WIuLf_1GkDTKNI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1WIuLf_1GkDTKNI00" width="1200" height="900" ></figure>Kentuckians went to the polls this election day, ready to cast their ballots for local and statewide races amid a nationally projected Democratic blue wave. As constituents filed through various polling places, The Northerner visited four locations across the Northern Kentucky area to talk to voters.Ft. Thomas Mess Hall (12:00 pm)Democratic Senate candidate Charles Booker made a final stop in Northern Kentucky on Tuesday, zig zagging between polling places as part of a larger trek to encourage people to vote before attending a campaign watch party in Louisville.At the Ft. Thomas Mess Hall, Booker was greeted by supporters as well as Amy Amin, the Democratic candidate running for Kentucky State Senate District 68.“I voted for you!” Patti, a Fort Thomas constituent, said as she passed the group. She was one of the many voters who only felt comfortable using their first name when speaking with the press.A registered independent, Patti said she voted a straight Democratic ticket, hoping to send a message for government to return to “compassion [and] empathy.” Traits that she said she couldn’t see on the other side of the ballot.Patti was unable to vote in the primary election in Kentucky, which limits participation by party registration.“Independent people need to have a voice,” she said, “I am not really pro-Republican, I’m not pro-Democrat. I’m pro-people.”Laura made her way to Ft. Thomas Mess Hall on her lunch break. She voted for a straight Democratic ticket, a choice that was driven by her disapproval of President Trump and concerns about women’s reproductive rights.“We need to allow women to have the right to choose what they need to do with their body,” she said. “And we don’t need men telling us what to do.”She then added, “Or some crazy old man telling us what to do.”When asked if foreign policy factored into her decision, Laura said, “I’m scared to death. I am very afraid of what could happen. I don’t have children in the military, but it frightens me to think that these people could potentially get very hurt.”She also said government needs to get back to being human.“This ugliness has got to stop,” she said. “And it’s being fueled, and continues to get gasoline poured on this fire by that administration, and it has got to stop.”Laura added, “I don’t think anybody really wants all this.”Union Presbyterian (3:00 pm)Union Presbyterian was a tranquil polling place in comparison, with children throwing a football in front of the door, a trickle of voters, filing in and out, were reluctant to speak to the press.Jared was personally motivated to vote against what he said was, “anything MAGA,” adding that he was “disgusted by what’s happening to this country.”Jared said his vote was something that came from his gut.“I don’t know if it’s one particular thing,” Jared said, adding that he opposes the financial decisions the administration has made, as well as the “culture of hate” from the other side.Nancy, a voter who’s been casting ballots for almost 60 years, said that she believes it to be her civic duty to vote, adding that she’s always, “just trying to get out” in order to fulfill it.Kenton County Government Center (4:00 pm)Carissa said she voted out of concern for “the general state of things,” adding that she’s unhappy with President Trump, whose administration she described as blatantly corrupt.She said that while she didn’t initially plan to select a straight-party ticket, “everybody was blue” by the time she submitted it.A main local concern for Carissa was choosing the candidate for the soon-to-be established Covington City Council, transitioning from the previous form of local governance consisting of a mayor and board of commissioners. She was particularly aggrieved about how the board of commissioners had handled construction projects, including the Brent Spence Bridge.Carissa and her family lives close to the bridge and having to traverse through the traffic was tiresome. She blamed the board of commissioners, who she said “[were not] proactive,” with the long-known construction plans.“There’s a lot of things they could have done, and a lot of things they could still do,” Carissa said.Carissa shared that she prioritized research before stepping into the polling place, and pointed to the Senate race as a particular concern, saying that she felt Republican candidate Andy Barr would simply “answer to Trump, with a rubber stamp.”Matt was one of the last of his friends and family to vote in the election, saying that the polls are something he’s always held in utmost importance, especially when things in both the nation and the state have been, “particularly weird.”Matt said that it was relatively easy to vote, with no lines impeding the process. He also prepared a mental list of his preferred candidates after studying a local voting guide.John Middleton, the Republican serving as Kenton County Circuit Court Clerk has an Andy Barr bumper sticker prominently displayed on his car, and knows the candidate personally.Middleton said that the Senate race holds special significance because of the seat that will be filled, replacing longtime Kentucky Republican Senator, Mitch McConnell, who is also the longest-serving party leader in U.S. Senate history.Considering Barr, “one of the hardest working people in politics,” Middleton added that, in the time he’s known him, Barr has always been especially attuned to the sensibilities of everyday Kentuckians, from the importance of Kentucky’s “river economy” to his office’s constituent service.Middleton also characterized the race for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District – with Republican Ed Gallrein running after defeating incumbent Thomas Massie in the primary – as an impressive feat, pointing to Massie’s historical approval rating in Northern Kentucky.“A lot of people shared Massie’s opinions, but he wasn’t able to get anything done,” Middleton said, adding that this slate of Republican candidates would better represent everyday Kentuckians.Devou Park Golf and Event Center (6:00 pm)After a long line snaking out the door, the last voters of the night started to file out into the dark parking lot of the Devou Park and Event Center, many of them waiting there for over an hour. At this time, when the poll workers had officially changed the signs to “closed,” the only people huddled around the door were two teenagers, waiting to take numbers to Larry Shelton’s campaign for Kenton County Sheriff.Workers had checked everyone’s ID’s while the line was still gaining stragglers, including people rushing after work to make it before the cutoff time at 6 p.m. Many said that this process helped ease waiting times, with the line then being to wait for one of the only four ballot stations to be free.One of the voters who waited around an hour was Kevin, who said it was important to exercise his civic duty, regardless of the line.“If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain,” Kevin said.Among his list of complaints were what he considered trends in national politics, including his belief that the Democratic party was swinging too far to the left.Kevin disclosed that he was partial to Thomas Massie, but voted for Ed Gallrein to bolster his all-Republican ballot. He is also an advocate for term limits, saying that he believes the founding fathers never intended for politics to be a lifelong role.Kevin is also concerned about the economy, and fiscal policy, regardless of who is in office.“The parties are the same in that they’re both spending money we don’t have,” Kevin said. “The only difference is they want to spend the money we don’t have on different things.”Kevin added that he felt left-wing politics were trying to change the foundation of the nation, which, while flawed, he considered to be the “best the way it is, and I don’t want to see it changed.”Matt waited 30 minutes in line to fulfill what he called his “civic duty,” but lamented about the time the polls closed, saying that he only had 30 minutes to get there from work. He wrote in Thomas Massie for Senate, and voted for Republicans for the rest of his ballot.Kristen was encouraged by her husband to vote in this election, and said that one of the reasons she waited to cast her ballot was the Kentucky Senate Race between candidates Barr and Booker. She was told that the race was more competitive than initially believed, she said, and so wanted to add her vote to bolster numbers.The last voters to file out of the polling place were Catherine and Sean, both intending to vote in Kentucky for the first time after moving to the area from Missouri five years ago. Catherine discovered that her registration was made past the Oct. 1 deadline, and so was not allowed to vote. For Sean, this election marks the first time he’s voted in 10 years.Neither consider themselves particularly political, but issues like gas prices, immigration, and other policies they considered “national level,” prompted them to drive to a polling place.Sean had a split ballot, divided between Democratic and Libertarian candidates. Catherine added that both of them were not necessarily big fans of President Trump, nor of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.“In general, I actually don’t like the mudslinging going on in politics on both sides … I’d rather pay more taxes and get more things and have more freedoms, than pay less taxes and kind of live in what feels like a very angry world.”Both added that regardless of the results of the midterms, they both believe they will be exciting to watch.Catherine stated, “Even if you’re not passionate about politics, it is our constitutional right to vote, and I think people should make it a priority to vote and have their voice be heard, whatever their voice may be.”</div></body>

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Kentuckians went to the polls this election day, ready to cast their ballots for local and statewide races amid a nationally projected Democratic blue wave. As constituents filed through various polling places, The Northerner visited four locations across the Northern Kentucky area to talk to voters. Ft. Thomas Mess Hall...

Voters weigh in while waiting at the polls

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Kentuckians went to the polls this election day, ready to cast their ballots for local and statewide races amid a nationally projected Democratic blue wave

Voters weigh in while waiting at the polls

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