The impact of the economy
A leading topic for voters this year is the economy. A poll from the Pew Research Center published in September revealed eight-in-ten registered voters said the economy will be very important to their vote in the presidential election.
People who responded to an unscientific WUSF survey said they have concerns about property and auto insurance. Some other economic issues Floridians say they’re worried about are income inequality, the cost of housing, inflation, and the national debt.
And basic needs, like the cost of food, are important for voters of all ages.
WUSF reporter, Steve Newborn, chatted with people at the Wimauma senior center and got to hear what’s on the minds of college students at campuses across Tampa Bay.
He spoke with Dolly Andino about her economic challenges.
“Sometimes I'm not even able to pay certain bills, because, you know, I have to pay the rent. I still owe money on the car. My insurance, my phone, and everything just keeps going up, but the income doesn't budge.”Newborn also spoke with Jacque Kurchinski, a University of South Florida student who just turned 18. It’ll be her first time voting. “Well, rent is insanely expensive. It's like my entire paycheck to cover my month of rent. So, I can't afford food. So, I get most of my food from the school pantry.”
Newborn says Floridians like Andino and Kurchinski say they haven’t heard enough from presidential candidates about how to help improve their personal lives.
“There's been some talk from Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race about cutting student debt, but that's after the fact, after you graduate,” he said. “They're not hearing anything about combating rising prices or combating grocery prices.”
When it comes to inflation, the numbers have been coming down. As of September, the rate was at 2.4%, a pretty big dip since the 9% spike around the time of the pandemic.
But Michael Snipes, an associate professor of instruction in economics at the University of South Florida, says people pay more attention to what they’re paying for goods right now, versus the trend of what goods cost overtime.
“It is true that the inflation rate is going down, but that doesn't mean that every single price is going down,” he said. “The price of housing is still well above the average inflation rate. The price of food, both in grocery stores and restaurants, is still well above the average inflation rate. And so, when we look at prices and inflation, yes, it is coming down, but it's not necessarily the types of goods that people really need.”
Looking at economic concerns for voters in the Tampa Bay area, some people who filled out that same WUSF online survey said they were worried about home insurance and affordable housing. But Snipes says it will take political will to actually address these concerns.
“When we look at how we can address inequality, I think it's going to have to come from some sort of government provision or government policy, and that could be either federal or state,” he said. “I think what we're looking for is really more of a political will than an economic will, because there are ideas out there that could help lower income individuals or struggling families, but it really comes down to is there a political will to do so.”
Securing your vote
The presidential election is just days away, and in this contentious campaign, a lot of people are worried about election integrity. That includes fears of voter fraud stoked by misinformation, to concerns about outside interference influencing election results.
Wesley Wilcox assures that Florida voters’ ballots are safe. He’s the election supervisor for Marion County.
“Every ballot cast in the state of Florida is going to be on a piece of paper. So, if the world had an electronic meltdown, we've still got the paper. None of our systems are connected to the internet,” he said.
According to Wilcox, our systems are the most secure they’ve ever been.
Physical safety is also a concern of election officials but Wilcox says officials and voters will be safe as they head to the polls.
“Times have changed. There's a lot of offices that now have bulletproof glass. You can't physically get in touch with anybody that works in the offices anymore,” he said. “Voting sites, early voting sites; I know we've worked well with our law enforcement partners across the state to be on the ready, [and] know where our polling places are, know where our early voting sites are, and be able to respond to any incident quickly.”
For more information on voting before heading to the polls, check out WUSF's Voter Guide, along with the "Our Changing State: Vote 2024" podcast.
