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Examiner straw poll for Chicago
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Examiners from major cities across the country conducted a straw poll of voters to better understand their habits leading up to Election Day. Respondents were randomly selected to participate and asked a series of questions listed below.
Question 1: Have you been polled before today on election issues?
» Results of the Examiner nationwide straw poll
| Yes | No |
| 0 | 5 |
Question 2: On Election Day, did you vote for the same candidates that you intended to vote for prior to arriving at the polling location?
| Yes | No |
| 3 | 2 |
Question 3: What was the single most important issue to you in this election that affected how you voted?
SUMMARY: Obama may be Chicago's hometown hero, but the five voters I polled were mixed on their feelings of him and swayed by diverse issues. Two of the men I polled didn't call out who they voted for in the presidential race, but one said the environment was the single most important issue, while the other called out social issues like health care and education.
Another man I polled called this election the toughest he's dealt with, because while part of him wanted to vote for Obama, it bothered him that he was part of the Illinois Democratic machine. He spoke about his frustrations with Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich, particularly with their handling of the economy and taxes, and said that he just couldn't vote for any more Illinois Democrats, including Obama. The registered Republican stated he doesn't usually vote straight along party lines, but in this election, he did.
One woman who I spoke with walked into the voting booth not knowing which presidential candidate to pick. Even though she identifies as pro-life and is strongly opposed to Obama's stance on abortion, she selected the Illinois Senator anyway for various reasons. For one thing, she's not happy with McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate, and she likens Obama to Kennedy, in that she believes he'll surround himself with intelligent people who will bring a fresh perspective to the country. She also referenced her disdain of the Bush administration and how it handled the war in Iraq.
The final man polled said he had been an Obama-devotee for months, but appreciated that his confidence in his choice has only grown over the last couple weeks. To him, social issues like abortion were extremely important, and Palin being selected as the Republican veep candidate also cemented his decision to vote for Obama.
All but one person said that they expected Obama to win—and two predicted it will be in a landslide.
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