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    • Readers remember their first vote in the presidential election
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    Readers remember their first vote in the presidential election

    Online Niel Posted on

    You never forget your first vote. Voting is one of the fundamental rights of American citizens.

    The Beacon Journal asked readers, “Who was the first president you voted for and would you vote for again today? Tell us why or why not.”

    As time passes, some regret the decisions of their youth. Others are confident they made the right choice. Here are some responses to our October survey.

    HARRY TRUMAN

    Marjorie L. Forsch of Coventry Township: “Harry S Truman (in 1948). Yes, I would vote for him again. He was the right man at the right time, averting the crisis after FDR’s death. He was humble but decisive, ended World War II and saved Europe with the Marshall Plan. And he beat Dewey!”

    DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

    Green’s Gwen Weber: “Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. I was 21 years old. And, yes, I would vote for him again, even though he’s the only Republican I’ve ever voted for.”

    Jim Myers from Kent: “Dwight Eisenhower and, yes, yes again! He had a formidable opponent in Adlai Stevenson, who would probably have made a good president. Ike pledged to end the Korean War.”

    JOHN F. KENNEDY

    Carl Capps of Brimfield: “JFK. Yes, I would vote for him again. He was more like today’s centrists. I was 21 when I voted for him.”

    Stephen Thompson of Copley: “Kennedy. His social policies.”

    William Ellison of Akron: “John F. Kennedy. I wouldn’t vote for him again.”

    LYNDON B. JOHNSON

    Virginia L. Abell of Akron: “In 1964, I turned 21. I voted for Lyndon B. Johnson. I would do it again. I believed then and I still believe today: Johnson was the right choice for that time.”

    Rosemary Chrisant of Stow: “The first president I voted for was Lyndon Johnson after John Kennedy died. I would vote for him again because he was a great civil rights leader and was able to calm the country down after the assassination.”

    RICHARD M. NIXON

    Al Barracato in Akron: “Nixon (in 1960). I would not vote for him again. I thought JFK was a little too slick. Yes????”

    Art McMaster of Stow: “Richard Nixon (in 1968). I turned 21 in Vietnam and this was my first vote. He promised to get us out of Vietnam. He didn’t do it. I would not vote for him again. He turned out to be the second most crooked president.”

    Akron’s Michael Kaufman: “I voted for Nixon in 1972 because of his global views. He opened the door to a global economy, a global vision of political interaction. Although he opened the door to China, he would never have allowed our economy to be as dependent on foreign trade as we have become, because he was not so naive as to believe that China and any communist country would have ultimate goals that would line up. with our democratic system of free enterprise. But the limitations became blurred, and he could not function in the current climate of questionable politics and unclear national goals. His narrow focus was demonstrated by Watergate and his need for control.”

    William Riley Mayor of Norton: “I voted for the first time in 1972 and joined the majority of Americans in electing Nixon. At the time he looked stable, while McGovern looked weak and wavering after changing his VP. In retrospect, I, as I suspect many Americans did, wish I had voted for McGovern after Watergate came out. At the time, I wanted a leader, not a crook, and to this day I still prefer a leader to a crook.”

    GEORGE McGOVERN

    Richard Sandy of Akron: “I never voted for Richard Nixon. I supported him in ’68, but regretted the decision. I was born in 1948, so I wasn’t old enough to vote in 1968. I voted and worked on the McGovern campaign in ’72. It was the first presidential election I voted in.”

    Harold Koltnow of Fairlawn: “George McGovern in 1972. I loathed Nixon. I would have voted for anyone else.”

    Former Akron resident Mickie Boldt of Glendale, California: “I voted for George McGovern (in 1972) and, yes, I would still vote for him today!! I knew even then, at the tender age of 21 (my first election age of eligibility), that Nixon was ‘a crook’!!!!”

    Priscilla Smith of Akron: “George McGovern. Yes, I liked his platform. He would have been much better than Nixon, who didn’t even finish that term.

    Akron’s Rick Williams: “George McGovern. “Yes, I would definitely vote for him again. Especially with what we already knew about Nixon, and that was just scratching the surface!”

    Debra Theresa Martin from Las Vegas: “George McGovern”.

    JIMMY CARTER

    Brad McKitrick, Akron City Council, Ward 6: “The first American president I voted for was Jimmy Carter. I would definitely vote for him again! He was a great president and a great humanitarian. We need another leader like him!”

    Mike Butlien of Bath: “I voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 over Gerald Ford. Looking back, I think Carter was a very poor president. But if I had to do it over again, I’d probably still vote for Carter, since at the time the nation was still reeling from Watergate. Ford’s pardon of Nixon set the stage for our current obsession with presidential mistakes in office and the Supreme Court decision that essentially gives carte blanche to any presidential action.”

    Former Cuyahoga Falls resident Penny Boyce of Navarre, Florida: “The first president I voted for was Jimmy Carter in 1976, my freshman year at Ohio University. Absolutely, I would vote for him again.”

    David Grant of Kent: “Jimmy Carter. Not. My values ​​have changed.”

    Green’s Kathy Scheck: “Jimmy Carter. And, YES! Absolutely YES!”

    Kay Baker of Newton: “Gerald Ford. He was a moderate Republican and I wasn’t sure about Jimmy Carter. Now I’m a Democrat because I’m a “Never Trumper” so I probably wouldn’t vote Republican today. It’s not the same party.”

    Richard Vesel of Northfield: “I was too young to vote until 1976 when, at age 22, I voted for Jimmy Carter. And given the way he’s lived his honorable life since then, I’d certainly vote for a Jimmy Carter in his 50s or 60s… in a heartbeat.”

    Akron’s Mark Jones: “Jimmy Carter. No, I wouldn’t vote for him again because he’s 100 years old. There is a 78-year-old man who is clearly unfit to hold the office of POTUS, so neither could a 100-year-old. That said, at least President Carter made his medical records public this year.”

    GERALD FORD

    Linda Huntington of Barberton: “Gerald Ford (in 1976) and, yes, because it was four peaceful years. It got us through the dark period after the Nixon debacle. Also, nothing particularly bad happened. I wish we could go back to the days of Ford and Reagan. FYI, I’m actually a Democrat.

    RONALD REAGAN

    Wayne Darlington of Akron: “Ronald Reagan (in 1980). Hell yeah! He ended the Cold War without firing a shot. He turned the nation’s economy around after Jimmy Carter destroyed it. He made our nation PROUD to be AMERICANS!”

    Jeff Markle of Fairlawn: “Ronald Reagan and, yes, I wish he was on the ballot again. He brought the economy out of the double digit inflation and interest rates of the Jimmy Carter years. He also negotiated nuclear treaties with Gorbachev. He was strong on national security.”

    Former Akron resident Mike Capriulo of High Springs, Florida: “Ronald Reagan. Yes, I would vote for him again. Strong leader. He knew how to deal with bad international actors. He helped bring down the Berlin Wall.”

    Robert Sorrell of Fort Worth, Texas: “Ronald Reagan. Yes.”

    Chuck Rusinek of Akron: “Ronald Reagan in 1984. His domestic and foreign policies were making the US much better than we had been before Vietnam.”

    BILL CLINTON

    Akron’s Ken Ambler: “My first vote for president was for Bill Clinton in 1992. He was not my first choice. I wanted to vote for Ross Perot, but Perot dropped out of the race, and while Perot re-entered the race right before the election, I changed my mind and voted for Clinton instead. Even though Clinton had his own ethical and moral struggles during his presidency, I would vote for him again because his message was positive and he didn’t use his presidency to spread hate and lies about individuals and groups he disagreed with.”

    Starlet Slack of Tallmadge: “I voted for Bill Clinton in 1992. I was 20 years old, so it was the first presidential election in which I was eligible to vote. Hillary’s wife was part of my decision at that time. Obviously, she wasn’t going to be a first lady who just redecorated the White House, she was brilliant and had her own plans. Who knew at the time how far it would go! I would definitely vote the same because I did four years later.”

    Sharon Werstler of Stow: “Bill Clinton and, yes, I would vote for him again today. He was a great president and he did a lot for our country and got our country out of a deficit, which is now horrendous.”

    Michael Harkness of North Canton: “Bill Clinton, I’m glad I voted for him. He delivered what he promised. He was a solid president.”

    BARACK OBAMA

    Carolyn Goldstein of Solon: “The first time I voted was for Kerry/Edwards in 2004. The first president I voted for who actually won was Barack Obama in 2008. I would vote for him a third time if I could. He is one of the best orators in recent American history.”

    HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

    Sam Cottrill of Cuyahoga Falls: “Hillary Clinton was the first presidential CANDIDATE I voted for. A disappointing vote, but she was better than the alternative. I voted for Joe Biden in the next election. Still disappointing, but better than the alternative. Whether I would vote for them again depends on who they are up against. I intended to vote for Biden this year out of necessity — to protect people in at-risk communities I care about — not because I truly believed he was a qualified candidate. Kamala Harris is the first time I’ve felt even an iota of patriotism in my vote. The last few election cycles have felt like damage control.”

    Mark J. Price can be contacted at [email protected]

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