“I hear a lot of stories everyday and just being a security guard, I don’t have the answers.” – referring to people coming to him for jobs, though he cannot help them.
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“Most of the kids in my class… everyone was 18 or over, no one wanted to vote. It’s just pure laziness.”
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“The Rent Is Too Damn High Party–that’s great, I’m all for it. I’m all for that guy.”
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No, 18-34, Male, Manhattan CD6, Student, Independent
“Personally, I think that instead of supporting the big banks and letting all the little ones fail, I’d prefer to see them break down the big ones — same way they did to AT&T, which was way too powerful. And the banks, if anything, are far more powerful than AT&T.”
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No, 55-64, Male, Manhattan CD2, Bookstore Owner, Democrat
“A lot of people are angry, but I don’t want to just vote angry.”
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No, 35-54, Female, Brooklyn CD13, Working Families Party
“We don’t have social security raises, unemployment…it’s bad, it’s a sad time right now. Thanks to Obama, I’ve gotten extended benefits and I thank him for that. But right now, it’s hand to hand.”
“One thing that’s affecting me personally is the cut of the school budget. Teachers don’t have any papers, any chalks, any utensils or supplies to…teach.”
NA, Under 18, Male, Queens CD12, Student, No Affiliation
“You go for a job and nobody is hiring. Something is not right somewhere and this is a big problem because people gotta work to live. If you don’t have a job, how you gonna live?”
“I like the fact that New York has a very vibrant, very eclectic, very diverse kind of life and I think that [Paladino] represents the opposite of that.”
No, 18-34, Male, Brooklyn CD7, Graduate Student, Democrat
“Two very good friends of mine, both educated, both professionals, got laid off yesterday. I can only imagine how hard it is for them to come out and vote today.”
No, 18-34, Female, Queens CD4, City Council Member, Democrat
“People are trying to get their lives back, piece it together.”
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No, 55-64, Female, Brooklyn CD16, Unemployed, Democrat
“I am a retired teacher and they might take away my pension.”
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No, 65+, Female, Brooklyn CD6, Retired Teacher, Democrat
“I pay a fortune on medicine so that was my major concern.”
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No, 55-64, Male, Brooklyn CD11, Concierge, Democrat
“These taxes for the wealthy come out and they sort of screw over lots of low-income communities.”
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“That’s my reason to come out, to support the people in my community.”
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No, 18-34, Male, Manhattan CD12, Teacher, Democrat
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No, 35-54, Male, Manhattan CD11, Librarian, Democrat
“I remember times when the economy fell…and the crime went up.”
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No, 65+, Male, Queens CD2, Vietnam Veteran, Former high school social studies teacher, now retired, Democrat
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“You see picture of Obama? He was upset. President is upset. How am I? I feel like upset too.” – On Republicans gaining majority.
35-54, Male, Brooklyn CD2, Owner of Samy's Deli, No Affiliation
“It’s definitely a personal thing. I felt it first-hand.”
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“I don’t trust the current Republican caucus to manage the economy.”
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No, 18-34, Male, Brooklyn CD 6, Economist, Democrat
“Medicare is being cut by the federal government, Medicaid is being cut by the state government – it’s affecting long term care,” said Margaret Reilly.
“I feel like voting like I’ve never voted before because of the fact that the way we’ve been doing things hasn’t been working on either side of the aisle.”
“Unfortunately, in New York State, [same-sex marriage] has not been given approval yet, so me and my partner don’t have the same equal rights as heterosexual couples,” said Alina Rodriguez.
No, 18-34, Female, Brooklyn CB7, Teacher, Democrat
“I believe our country is being systematically bankrupted through our banking system and that our politicians are doing nothing about it,” said Jason Stanley.
No, 18-34, Male, Brooklyn CD6, Insurance Broker, Independent
” I think the issue that affects me is the MTA raising their monthly from $80-$100. And I don’t understand why it keeps going up, and up, and up and up.”
“The major issue in this New York City is like the tax issue, the MTA. We’re paying them well, we’re paying too much because they’re not balancing the budget. That’s not a thing to do with the public.”
“The fact that corporations have so much power in the political process, they are taking the power away from the individual people,” said Lawrence Carrel.
No, 35-54, Male, Manhattan CD8, Journalist, Democrat
Amid the backdrop of the mid-term elections, NYCity News Service reporters fanned around the city, video and audio recorders in hand, and asked scores of New Yorkers: “What election issue affects you the most personally, and how?” Use the navigation below to filter answers by category or simply click on the photos to the left for a sampling of responses.