Sherrie VandePutte is proud to display a political sign declaring her support for presidential candidate Barack Obama in her front yard in Groveland Township.
If polls at presstime are any indication, VandePutte is in a possible nationwide majority in her support of Obama; however, she is likely in the minority among her neighbors.
As national pollsters forecast which states will be red, in favor of Republican John McCain, and which will be blue, in favor of Democrat Barack Obama, a fairly safe prediction can be made that McCain will take the majority of votes in Groveland, Atlas and Brandon townships.
Residents of this area traditionally’overwhelmingly, even’vote Republican.
While Groveland Township Clerk Pam Mazich did not have exact figures available for the past few presidential elections, she estimated that Republican candidates receive about 75 percent of the vote in Groveland, with Democrats carrying just 20 percent in nearly every election.
‘The majority of Groveland voters are Republicans,? she said. ‘Probably because we’re older communities that are well-established and have always had a very strong workforce and working class of residents…We have a strong working force of people who are in professional careers and I think people in professional careers, such as teachers, attorneys, people in technical fields, they more often vote Republican.?
In Atlas Township, which leads Genesee County in voter turnout in presidential elections, Clerk Tere Onica estimates the number of Republicans are as high as 90 percent in average voting.
Brandon Township seems nearly moderate by comparison, although figures provided by Clerk Jeannie McCreery from the past three major elections show the 1996 senator race the only time a Democrat edged out the Republican candidate. That year, the Democrat garnered 2,649 votes (48.99 percent) to the Republican candidate’s 2,602 votes (48.07 percent).
In the 1996 presidential race, which had 58 percent voter turnout, 45.56 percent of Brandon voters chose Republican Bob Dole, while 39.98 percent voted for Democrat Bill Clinton; In the 2000 presidential race, which had 66.32 percent voter turnout in Brandon, 57.50 percent chose Republican George W. Bush, while 37.31 percent voted for Democrat Al Gore, and in 2004, with a total voter turnout of 74.23 percent, Bush again sealed Brandon’s vote, with 60.70 percent, while Democrat John Kerry received 37.90 percent of the vote.
‘We’re a very rural area and generally, not very diversified,? said McCreery. ‘We’re white and middle-class. I actually see things changing, more Democrats voting. I think this election will be interesting.?
Oakland University Professor of Political Science John Klemanski offered insight to why this area consistently has more Republicans than Democrats.
‘It’s the rural versus urban difference,? he explained. ‘Historically, rural citizens have voted Republican. Republicans have supported farming and pro-farming policies. Democrats have tended to support more urban type policies and public assistance that might benefit urban dwellers and those who are poor.?
Like McCreery, Klemanski noted the lack of diversity here factors into why the area leans to Republicans? blacks, who comprise less than 2 percent of the population in any of the three townships, tend to support Democratic candidates more; conservative Christians, the majority religion here, more often vote Republican.
Female voters have the edge over males in favoring the Democratic Party, which Klemanski said is seen as the party being more sensitive to women’s issues including choice regarding abortion and programs that assist single mothers such as daycare and healthcare.
Senior citizens tend to split evenly between Democratic and Republican candidates. They vote more, and a fair number Klemanski calls ‘New Dealers,? those who support Democrats because they associate them with Social Security, Medicare and other senior programs.
Klemanski cites education as another factor? persons with higher levels of education more often vote for Republicans? not because they’re smarter, but because they tend to earn more and like the pro-business approach of the Republican Party.
‘A lot of people in rural areas should vote Democratic on some economic issues, but they don’t,? Klemanski said. ‘The Democrats offer government support for people with lower incomes and are in favor of regulating business, which can put more money in the pockets of some voters, create jobs and do things to help these folks. But folks in rural areas who are in economic trouble and are Republican focus on social issues? pro-choice or pro-life, affirmative action, etcetera.?
Joel Knaack, 24, moved to Brandon Township less than a year ago, and is choosing John McCain over Barack Obama on Tuesday for a variety of reasons, including their differences on the economy, tax plans, healthcare, and the type of justices they will appoint to the Supreme Court.
Although he was raised in a more liberal family, he tends to vote more conservatively, although he does not vote straight ticket, choosing candidates on individual merit and occasionally voting for a Democrat.
He echoes Klemanski in many of the reasons he feels the area is more Republican, citing it being rural, very religious, with more farms and many small businesses, to which he feels Republicans are more friendly.
‘Finally, I think values passed down in families play a large role in this also,? Knaack said. While areas which are less rural now, such as Clarkston and Lake Orion, are being built up, they are retaining their conservative values. I believe this is explained because the majority of people, myself as an exception, tend to vote as their parents did. The result being even though the area does not maintain all of the characteristics, the population tends to retain their values.?
VandePutte, 55, and her husband, Frank, own a flooring business and she describes them as very mid-level income for the area. She is concerned with both economic and social issues.
‘People make choices for economic reasons, but I feel like America needs to continue with the civil rights struggle and for the last eight years, we’ve had very stagnant wages,? she said. ‘The middle class needs a hand. It shouldn’t be ‘drill, baby, drill,? it should be ‘invent, baby, invent.? We need to make this a healthier, greener planet. You can’t separate the economy and the social issues. The economic thing is so huge, because finally, it’s being felt by the upper middle class.?
Klemanski said that middle class is quickly disappearing as the gap between the rich and poor widens and the middle income and higher wage jobs go overseas or are cut. He wonders where the next middle class is coming from.
‘In a service economy, jobs don’t pay that much, no healthcare, no pension, no benefits or medium level wages,? he said. ‘If you’re starting out, who can afford a house, who can afford a family? Manufacturing jobs don’t exist anymore. There are a lot of frustrated people without jobs or homes, looking to somebody for answers. There are a lot of very unhappy people who can’t make a decent living.?
Klemanski predicts Obama will win the election, taking at least 279 electoral college votes on Tuesday, possibly as many as 360.
Both candidates have campaigned for change, but don’t expect a change in voting habits here. Even if the majority of the country votes for Obama for president, Klemanski believes John McCain will pull at least 60 percent of the vote in Atlas, Brandon and Groveland townships, maintaining the area’s record of voting Republican.