REPORTER BLOG: Change of State, Change of Mind

Molly Smith
ms248805@ohio.edu

With all of the election coverage I have done as a reporter this quarter (and rhyming too apparently) I really have learned a lot about the process. This was the first election I was old enough to vote in so obviously I was beyond excited to do my part and pursue my rights as an American. I avidly followed the polls to see which candidate was winning what states especially in the month of October with all of the toss-up states.

I am originally from Vermont, a predictably blue state, so it was exciting being in a toss-up state and not having an obvious winner in August. Ohio is made up of such a huge mix of people. The candidates were here several times visiting different areas of the state speaking about their ideas and policies.

This state has a history of having heavy weight in the decision of Republican candidates. Both Obama and McCain and their VP candidates came and spoke about topics that hit home here in Ohio; creating jobs, healthcare, the energy crisis, and tax levies. Both had large crowds at their rallies, and wisely chose the areas they knew they had the greatest pull in.

One of the stories we talked about covering for MidDay, which I’m not sure if we did or not, was about people like me registering to vote in the state they are in. So instead of filling out an absentee ballot and sending it back to Vermont, I would have done an Ohio ballot and let my vote count in the battleground state of Ohio.
I think this is a great idea for students like me who are away from home and located in a more instrumental state in the presidential election. I’m proud to be a voter of the state of Vermont, but if I could do it again I would most definitely register in Ohio because of it’s almost 10x more electoral votes.