With three days to go before the US midterm elections, nine voters from across the country and the political spectrum have spoken about extremism, election integrity and the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth. The Guardian interviewed the panel ahead of the 3 November vote, which will decide control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, governorships in 36 states and state legislatures across the country.
On extremism, the answers split along familiar lines. Sally Rasmussen, 62, an independent voter from Medford, Wisconsin, said she sees extremism on the right, driven by Donald Trump’s influence on candidates and voters in her county. She named Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor in Wisconsin, and said he had sought to undermine the 2020 election result. Sharon Anderson, 70, a Republican voter from Etowah, Tennessee, took the opposite view of strong leadership, saying she wants a leader who acts decisively in a crisis.
On Pete Hegseth, the panel divided sharply. David Ferrari, 19, a Democrat from Tallahassee, Florida, called Hegseth unfit for the job and criticised the idea of livestreaming an execution. Anderson backed Hegseth and said she supported the livestreaming idea when she first heard it.
The panel also discussed confidence in the voting system and what they want Congress to tackle first. The Guardian said it will return to the same voter panel after the final votes are cast.
The midterm elections on 3 November will deliver the first national verdict on the second presidency of Donald Trump, with millions of Americans set to vote.
Source: The Guardian
