‘I Don’t Know the Issues!’: Voices of the Voters, District 1

I spent Tuesday morning talking to voters in the La Jolla, University City and Carmel Valley areas. Well, I should say I tried talking to voters.

Many did not want to discuss their votes, calling the decision private or saying they simply didn’t have enough time to chat. I asked people who they picked for mayor and City Council District 1, and how they felt about Proposition B, the pension initiative.

Below, I’ve compiled tweets from my day at the polls, including some of the bizarre moments from asking people how they voted. For name references, the mayoral candidates are Carl DeMaio, Bonnie Dumanis, Bob Filner and Nathan Fletcher. The District 1 council candidates are Sherri Lightner, Ray Ellis, Bryan Pease and Dennis Ridz.

My first stop in D1 twitter.com/keegankyle/sta…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Scott Caprio:

Scott Caprio, Carmel Valley, voted for DeMaio, Lightner & PropB. Said voting against most props was the most important decision. 1/2

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

DeMaio, Caprio said, seems to understand the “pain points” of everyday life better than the other candidates and has plans to address them

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Here’s Scott Caprio twitter.com/keegankyle/sta…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Michelle Marzullo:

Michelle Marzullo, Carmel Valley, voted for Filner, Pease & No on PropB. Said opposing B is crucial. “completely wrong to city workers”

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Filner, Marzullo said, “was one of the freedom riders. He’s got the right heart for the job.” #sdvote twitter.com/keegankyle/sta…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Weirdness

Ok, that was really weird. I asked a woman who she voted for and she ran to her car yelling, “I don’t know the issues!” #sdvote

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Carmel Valley

Next stop. Carmel Valley community park. twitter.com/keegankyle/sta…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Rich Kushner

Met Rich Kushner in Del Mar Heights. He’s voting for DeMaio, Ellis & PropB. Said the biggest issue is pensions. “unfair to the taxpayer”

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Me to Kushner: What about the council race? Kushner: who’s the republican? Me: Ellis. Kushner: then that’s my vote twitter.com/keegankyle/sta…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Kushner on Demaio: “Government spending is out of control and he’s the best to rein it in.”

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

University City

Ok, now I’m hanging out at a poll in north UC. There’s a fountain! twitter.com/keegankyle/sta…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

I stayed at this poll for 20 minutes and didn’t see a single voter. The poll workers said they had around 40 people in the morning and expected a few more spurts here and there. I decided to move on.

Anyone know where to find a busy poll at this hour in City Council District 1? Haven’t seen many voters at the last few places.

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

No Comment

A man agreed to talk about his votes until I asked about the local elections. “You get clubbed in some places for that,” he said. #sdvote

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

More than dozen people refused to say who they voted for. “It’s personal,” one woman said. “No surveys!” another said. “Isn’t that supposed to be secret?” a young voter asked me. But at least a few didn’t mind sharing their thoughts.

Peter Beale-Wirsing, 20, south UC. Voted for Fletcher, Lightner and doesn’t recall his vote on PropB. #sdvote twitter.com/keegankyle/sta…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Beale-Wirsing on Fletcher: “my parents like him.” on Lightner: “she doesn’t want to put that bridge through.” bkgd: m.voiceofsandiego.org/mobile/data-dr…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

My Plea

I didn’t have much luck finding voters in North UC. If you live there, please tweet your picks for mayor, council, propB. Use #sdvote tag

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Silvana Vollero

Silvana Vollero, south UC, voted for Filner, Lightner & No on PropB. Said schools are most important issue, but she always votes #sdvote

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

Vollero on Filner: “Because he’s a Democrat.” on Lightner: impressed during a meeting with her. She came door to door. Had a personal touch

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

On PropB, Vollero argued city workers deserve pensions, especially firefighters. #sdvote

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

A La Jolla Alley

Last stop for the day in D1. A polling place down an alley in La Jolla. twitter.com/keegankyle/sta…

— keegankyle (@keegankyle) June 5, 2012

The last voter I talked to at the poll above said she had voted for DeMaio, Ellis and Prop. B. She said Lightner hadn’t done as much as she hoped and wanted a fresh voice. She declined to provide her name, however, saying she was concerned about rumors at work. She said she is pro-environment and is sometimes embarrassed about voting Republican.

Keegan Kyle is a news reporter for Voice of San Diego. He writes about local government, creates infographics and handles the Fact Check Blog. What should he write about next?

Please contact him directly at keegan.kyle@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5668. You can also find him on Twitter (@keegankyle) and Facebook.

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