Older Voters Line Up In Oswego, Split Between Dems And GOP

OSWEGO, IL — Older voters were queuing almost out the door at Oswego Village Hall on Friday, March 6, as they waited for their chance to early vote. Many said they initially came to take part in Mayor Troy Parlier's Coffee and Conversation meeting, but decided to vote while they were there.

"[Voters] come in waves," Jenette Sturges, Oswego's community engagement coordinator said. "I haven't been watching [the poll office] too closely but this seems busier than usual."

Of those that Patch spoke to as they left the polls, there seemed to be about an even split between supporters of Democratic candidates and those voting GOP. In the presidential primary, GOP voters universally supported the re-election of Donald Trump, while Democratic voters said they were voting for former Vice President Joe Biden. Following national trends, none of the elderly voters Patch spoke to said they were supporting Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders dominates among young voters with his repeated calls for expanding the welfare system, instituting a massive green energy program and working toward a universal health care plan. However, he struggles with older, more conservative Democrats.

"I like Biden, I think he's the best candidate," one voter who asked not to be named, said. "Bernie is too radical for me."

Trump voters expressed general satisfaction with the president's performance, though one couple expressed concern about the trade policies his administration has pursued over the past year and a half — policies which some experts now say hurt Americans in farming and the manufacturing sector.

On the other side, Biden voters expressed a strong desire to see Trump defeated in November, and cited that desire as their main motivation for voting for the more conservative of the two men now competing for the Democratic nomination. The moderate wing of the Democratic party rallied around Biden in the 48 hours prior to Super Tuesday, March 3, and the former vice president has picked up dozens of endorsements from party insiders since then. Though many national polls in February showed Sanders having a slightly better chance than Biden of beating Trump, it seems the recent endorsement wave was enough to convince many older voters otherwise.

On the matter of congressional races, voters mostly proved either unwilling or unable to name who they were casting their ballots for. Oswego sits at the intersection of the 11th and 14th Illinois Congressional seats, both of which have crowded fields. Many voters said they didn't know who their congressperson was, and had not looked into the congressional races prior to voting. Only 14th District Democratic incumbent Lauren Underwood was mentioned by name by any person Patch spoke with.

While voting was going on, Mayor Parlier continued his Coffee and Conversation meeting. It was essentially a repeat last month's State of the Village address for the sake of senior citizens unable to make it to that event, but apparently also a convenient excuse to get voting out of the way on a weekday afternoon. As for younger voters, Sturges said they typically come in more on weekends and evenings.

"It makes sense," she said. "You know? It's a weekday."