Democrats were out in droves this week to cast their ballots in the California primary.
Residents interviewed at two polling locations on the Eastside and South Los Angeles described the voting process and why they voted the way they did. While who they supported varied, most described a fairly smooth voting process — despite complaints about long lines and technology glitches elsewhere in the county and state.
Sen. Bernie Sanders captured the coveted California Primary, the state that wields the most delegates, and Joe Biden came in second.
Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who was in third place, announced today that he is suspending his campaign and endorsing Biden.
In the days before the election, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race, narrowing the field and possibly consolidating the moderate vote for Biden.
The Democratic primary race appears to now be a contest between Biden, considered a moderate, and Bernie Sanders, considered a Democratic Socialist. Voters in other states will have the chance in the coming months to weigh in on which candidate they trust to best perform against Incumbent President Donald Trump.
California was one of 14 states participating in Super Tuesday. Biden won 10 states while Sanders won four. Biden has 566 pledged delegate nominations while Sanders has 501.
In South Los Angeles, several voters at Manual Senior Arts High School said they’re throwing their support behind Sanders because of their shared values with the candidate.
“I voted for Bernie Sanders because of the views I follow behind,” said Charles Jacob Hanover, adding that there’s momentum behind Sanders and the people who follow him are very passionate.
Mercedes Thomas also shared that she’s voting for Sanders because “you have to vote for what you believe in.”
At the same time, she said that Sanders is a long shot so that comes with uncertainty.
Thomas isn’t the only person who believes in this and many voters are expressing fears that he won’t be able to beat Trump in the presidential election.
That is partly why several voters interviewed on the Eastside, at the Alhambra library, on Monday said they supported Biden.
“Our country needs stabilization and he has the experience for it,” said retiree Phebe Ullah. “If you don’t vote, you’re voting for Trump.”
Retiree Nosiba Ullah-Cowan said she also supported Biden.
Some residents said it was a tough choice and they were considering competing values.
One thing they said wasn’t hard was voting itself — because they went in the day before.
Lines were reportedly shorter and those interviewed reported a smooth voting experience.
Ullah-Cowan said the poll workers were helpful and attentive and the machines worked well.
“It is really nice and simple, they explain what to do step by step,” she said. “You can see who you voted for. You put the ballot in and it comes out. You, yourself will go and do it.”
