Drop boxes opened across Michigan on Sept. 26, marking the beginning of widespread voting in the battleground state. The outcome of the election remains uncertain with only a few weeks left until Election Day. However, just a block away from one drop box location, a boarded-up storefront and a large number of homeless individuals highlighted some of the challenges faced by Michigan’s capital city.
Two men, Troy Amon and Ted Shiels, sat outside a City of Lansing government office expressing their views on the upcoming election. Amon, wearing a United Auto Workers (UAW) T-shirt, believed that Trump was supportive of unions during his presidency. On the other hand, Shiels had negative opinions about both major candidates.
Both men expressed distrust in the use of drop boxes and absentee ballots for voting and believed that people should vote in person instead. They also shared concerns about the economy, with Shiels stating that giving people money would not solve underlying problems but rather exacerbate them.
A retired prison guard named John Artis supported Harris and felt that she could bring positive change compared to Trump’s presidency. He emphasized the importance of unity among Americans to address various issues faced by the country.
Luis Cabrera expressed concerns about price stability and inflation but did not plan on participating in the election despite personally favoring Harris. He mentioned seeing indications on social media suggesting Latino voters leaning towards Trump.
Other individuals interviewed had diverse perspectives on different topics such as abortion policy, gun regulation, affordable education, foreign policy towards Israel, job availability in Lansing’s library district versus downtown area dominated by Ford-related establishments like museums and complexes.
The article also highlighted signs written in Arabic alongside English advertisements for businesses like cell phone repair shops or specialty clinics found downtown Dearborn—a place where many non-English speaking visitors claimed they couldn’t participate in elections due to their foreign citizenship status.
Jim Beeler wore a Trump hat while receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer near Dearborn; he believed voters would be influenced by rising prices affecting various aspects of life. Ali thought less money should be spent abroad by America while Rita expressed concern over illegal immigration scale based on her family history as legal immigrants who didn’t receive any free benefits upon arrival.
Hassan reluctantly supported Harris due to her clear plans despite not identifying as Democrat himself; he criticized Trump’s controversial statements regarding eating dogs and cats.
Various other individuals were interviewed throughout Michigan expressing their worries about taxes impacting small business owners moving parts for automakers or supporting stricter measures overseas under Trump’s administration.
In suburban Wyoming near Grand Rapids at a mini-mall location called Drew requested multiple pro-Trump signs from local campaign offices facing criticism for his support due to concerns over economy and illegal immigration affecting future generations’ cost-of-living expenses
