A survey of young adults in Columbus indicates a proposal to hike the minimum wage is a potential big draw to the polls next month. As part of a statewide project, Some Columbus Public High School students traveled to convenience stores, libraries, grocery stores, and street corners to conduct face-to-face interviews on election issues.
The Interview Project enlisted students from 16 Columbus High schools. The students fanned out into neighborhoods seeking young adults between the ages of 18 and 29. In all, they conducted 2,000 interviews about candidates and issues on the November 7th ballot. Eastmoor Academy Seniors Zufan Abate and John Buster say Issue Two, a proposal to boost the minimum wage in Ohio, could be a big draw to the polls on election day. "The majority of people that were interviewed, they knew about the minimum wage ballot and like the news about raising the minimum wage is out there and how people tell me like other people are knocking on their doors asking them do you know about the minimum wage ballot and do you know waht's going on." Says Abate. Buster adds. "78 percent of the people knew that this issue was on the ballot and 86 percent of those people said it would make them more likely to vote and only three percent said it would make them less likely to vote."
Organizers of the so-called Youth Vote survey point out it is not a scientific sample. But, students were persistent in trying to get good results. Africentric Senior Terika Jenkins says she encountered people who sometimes balked at amswering her questions. "When someone was being reluctant to a question I would go to a different question because I don't want to agitate and I do want my questions answered. So whatever would make the person more compfortable I would lean toward that instead of agitating them at all." Says Jenkins.
The polling by Columbus students is part of a more comprehensive election civics lesson being used in high schools in Cleveland and several other small Ohio towns. As part of the project, Eastmoor Academy government teacher, Kay Slone, says her students will get more exposure to politics before election day. "My students are doing a candidate event, a candidate forum. We have probably 50 candidates invited to come to our building on October 31st. Each one of my students is an expert on one of the candidates on the ballot. They'll be coming in, introducing them, asking them questions." Says Slone. Slone adds that personal contact with candidates provides a valuable civics lesson. "They need to see candidates. They need to see they're people who put their shoes on after their pants just like you and I do."
Tom Borgerding WOSU News