Voters' Voices in Wheaton: Maryland Primary 2012

Patch went to the polls Tuesday morning in Wheaton to hear directly from voters about why they turned out for the primary election.

At Holiday Park Senior Center on Ferrara Drive

“I fear for the future of my country and my grandchildren,” 64-year-old retiree Gilbert Keller said. Keller is a registered Republican, and he answered confidently that he had cast his vote for Ron Paul. But when it came to local elections, Keller was less certain. “I don’t really know who to vote for in the Board of Education, which is a shame,” he said. “I just picked a name and voted. Hopefully it’s a good one.”

Several voters at Holiday Park Senior Center mentioned abortion as a central concern. Olga Fairfax, 72, said she was once a Democrat and an ordained Methodist minister. But she’s changed political party and religious domination to fit her pro-life beliefs.

Diane Reinke, 65-year-old writer and editor, said she voted for Rick Santorum because “he’s pro-life and because he does not believe in birth control.”

Like Keller, Reinke said she did not pay much attention to the slate of candidates for the Board of Education. “No one sent us any literature,” she said. “We got one phone call last night, but I didn’t feel that was enough to go on.”

At John F. Kennedy High School

“I think the primary is just as important as the general election,” Errol Chambers, 53, said. Chambers added that he supports President Obama for reelection, but did not want to discuss his local votes.

Gabriel Lai, who came to Tuesday morning to cast his vote, said that he had made an effort to look at every candidate and learn the issues, but that he “just ran out of time.” Lai, 34, is a registered Democrat and said that he considers voting a civic duty.

“It’s such a privilege in our country to have the right to vote,” said Cynthia Wooton, a 59-year-old Democrat. “My ancestors were African-American and gave up a lot for that right.”

Derek Parker, 62, said that he wants to set a good example for his students by voting in the primary election. Parker works part-time as a substitute teacher at and John F. Kennedy High School, while working on getting published as an author.

"Voting is an opportunity to exercise something that's my right," he said. "My grandparents fought long and hard for me to do this."

What about you? Tell us in the comments about why you’re motivated (or not motivated) to vote in the primary election.