Which Carries More Weight: Party or Point of View?
By: Melinda Barrett
Updated: October 11, 2012
(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) With political signs flooding streets and neighborhoods, it's easy to see partisan politics in play.
But, it's hard to avoid all the political chatter with the election approaching.
"I feel this election is imperative that I vote," said Neil Lawley, St. Joseph.
"It does seem like there are a lot of people interested in politics who are discussing it a lot," said Pat Conway, State Representative.
And, that's something political experts say is important.
"I think the more people get involved and pay attention, the better government will be because the government has to respond to it's citizens," said Dr. Edwin Taylor, Political Science Professor at Missouri Western State University.
But with less than 50 days until the election, some feel bombarded with political jargon.
One man who knows the political process well, Buchanan County's former clerk Pat Conway who's now a state representative, says it's a challenge to sort through what's true and what's not.
"There's just so much information out there both pro and con on every candidate out there, every issue, that it's very difficult for people to stay away from what's going on in the political world," said Conway.
"Less issue based and more sort of pointed, and that's because a lot of the ads are being run by outside groups, who have all sorts of money that they can pour in," said Dr. Taylor.
"A lot of times a negative ad will attract a voters attention, and sometimes it will get them to turn their vote in your direction," said Conway.
Not only does the presidential race bring about more political ads, it also impacts local elections.
"A lot of people will go to the polls on presidential election day that don't normally go to the polls on election day, so you're going to see a dramatic increase in the number of people voting," said Conway.
The political hype is just beginning, experts say if the ads seem overwhelming now, the worst is yet to come.
Political signs and advertisement are also flooding social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Experts say it doesn't matter how you get informed, it's being informed that's important.
But, it's hard to avoid all the political chatter with the election approaching.
"I feel this election is imperative that I vote," said Neil Lawley, St. Joseph.
"It does seem like there are a lot of people interested in politics who are discussing it a lot," said Pat Conway, State Representative.
And, that's something political experts say is important.
"I think the more people get involved and pay attention, the better government will be because the government has to respond to it's citizens," said Dr. Edwin Taylor, Political Science Professor at Missouri Western State University.
But with less than 50 days until the election, some feel bombarded with political jargon.
One man who knows the political process well, Buchanan County's former clerk Pat Conway who's now a state representative, says it's a challenge to sort through what's true and what's not.
"There's just so much information out there both pro and con on every candidate out there, every issue, that it's very difficult for people to stay away from what's going on in the political world," said Conway.
"Less issue based and more sort of pointed, and that's because a lot of the ads are being run by outside groups, who have all sorts of money that they can pour in," said Dr. Taylor.
"A lot of times a negative ad will attract a voters attention, and sometimes it will get them to turn their vote in your direction," said Conway.
Not only does the presidential race bring about more political ads, it also impacts local elections.
"A lot of people will go to the polls on presidential election day that don't normally go to the polls on election day, so you're going to see a dramatic increase in the number of people voting," said Conway.
The political hype is just beginning, experts say if the ads seem overwhelming now, the worst is yet to come.
Political signs and advertisement are also flooding social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Experts say it doesn't matter how you get informed, it's being informed that's important.
