There has long been the presumption that the educated elite in this country typically vote democrat. Some statistics do back this up, showing that over 60% of those with graduate degrees tend to vote Democrat. But does knowing this information make it right for ‘get out the vote’ volunteers, who may prefer a candidate, to use that information for their party’s benefit? Many residents argue that it is not.
“Time and time again, I saw volunteers approach those wearing Harvard and Yale shirts to make sure they were registered,” said Stapleton Republican Brian Eichhorn. “Yet, I counted at least 12 people wearing NASCAR affiliated hats or clothing, and these volunteers didn’t say a word to them. It is fine to get out the vote, but they should be a little blind to who they ask.”
Other residents noticed the same thing. “I saw some of the volunteers in the parking lot specifically targeting those driving Volvos, Audis, and Mercedes, etc.,” said Josh Runyan. “Yet, when I pulled up in my ’99 4 Runner, no one said a word to me. I think the right to vote is important, and everyone should be able to do it, unless you do not have a driver’s license or a state issued i.d.” The Stapletonion did not find any evidence of profiling at the King Soopers, and some other patrons would agree.
“I went to a public college, and the volunteers at King Soopers asked me if I was registered,” said resident Mike Gaies. “I saw other people that didn’t look super educated or super smart, and they were getting asked about their voter registration as well. So, no, I didn’t see anything that made me think they were just pushing to get more highly intelligent people registered because they knew they would vote democrat.”
The right to vote organization which sponsored the push at the Stapleton King Soopers issued the following statement. “We are extremely clear in our instructions to our volunteers that they must wear blinders when it comes to asking people about their voting status. This is especially important when looking at education, as there is a strong divide between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to this particular demographic. Stapleton has many highly educated people, and this is what may have caused the appearance of profiling, but it was only an appearance and was not in practice.” ]]>