Voters share thoughts on presidential race on Election Day

PERU — Voters turned out eagerly throughout the North Country on a mild and sunny day Tuesday to do their duty.

Many of them were all business when casting their ballots in the presidential race.

'I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK'

"Our rights are important to me. Our country is important to me. The state of our country is important to me," Angel Wright, a voter from Peru said before casting her ballot at St. Augustine's Church in Peru Tuesday afternoon.

"How it was in the years of the Trump presidency, I don't want to go back."

Wright, 52, said she began voting in the 2016 presidential election. Republican Donald Trump won that year over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump then lost the 2020 race against Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump is now running again against Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.

Wright said the main issues she is concerned with are the border and women's rights.

"Women's rights is a big one for me," she said.

"And the next one would be all of the turmoil in America. I don't like all the hate. I don't like all of that. This is not America. This is not the country we ever had before."

While the presidential campaign has been vicious on both sides, voters Tuesday in Peru and Schuyler Falls were very cordial to each other, opening doors and offering smiles and casual greetings.

Some even wished others, "happy voting."

'IT'S MY RIGHT TO VOTE'

Mark Lubic, 61, of Schuyler Falls makes it a point to vote in every presidential election.

Although he did not share who he voted for, he said it is important for everyone to participate.

"Our vote up here usually doesn't count as much because everything is from downstate in New York (city) and they got all the power, but it is your constitutional right to vote," he said.

"It's my right to vote for who I want to whether they win, lose or draw."

A process technician at Schluter Industries in Plattsburgh, Lubic said the economy is an important issue for him.

"I'm the one that does the grocery shopping, and in the last couple of years, you can see the prices going up," he said.

"I used to spend around $140, now it's going between $160 and $180 for the weekly groceries. You can figure a little bit for inflation going up, but it's just some of the stuff is stupid."

Lubic said he is also concerned about the amount of people coming into the country.

"I know our forefathers all came through Ellis Island when they came through here and there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, we're a melting pot," he said.

"We've always been that way, but it's just a matter of when you come in. If you were working a desk or something and you have one person come in, you check them in and its fine, but when 10 or 15 people come in at the same time, then we have chaos because you can't control what's going on."

Nancy Doner of Morrisonville said she has been watching the campaigns closely.

She said she voted for Trump largely because she is upset about immigration.

"She's (Harris) let a lot of immigrants in," Doner, 50, said.

"Immigrants are fine, but come in the right way."

David Viti of Schuyler Falls said he has been watching closely the past two or three weeks.

"There's been a lot of fighting against each other and I just want to get the world back together again," he said.

"We need to get this squabbling cleaned up."