Melissa Amison
“I’m interested in the sheriff’s race because there are so many issues concerning our prison system, prisoners escaping and things of this nature. The inconsistency of what is going on in our prisons now, I think that is going to be the focus of what is going to happen in the future because there are so many problems. Politicians are claiming they can do so much improvement of the prisons, so this is a important race to watch.”

Khalid Johnson
“I will be watching the race between incumbent Calvin Giles and challenger LaShawn Ford for the 8th District state rep. I will be watching this race because education in Austin is at a critical point and the winner of this race will be a big ally for making education better for our students.”

Bernard Clay
“I will be watching the race between Congressman Danny K. Davis and his challenger, because Cong. Davis has been accessible to the community. He knows the issues that effect our community and he has a proven track record in addressing those issues.”

Donovan Taylor
“The political race that I will watch closely is the 8th District state representative race. There are many community issues that need to be addressed by a representative that has a clear community focus. That will be my measure when deciding for whom my vote will be cast. I would like to see a representative from the 8th District that stands strong on the issue of the quality of education within the community, economic development to empower the current members of the community, and a caring stance on addressing the social ills of the community. An excellent representative will be a person who makes it an objective to be an information agent of the community, conducting periodic town hall meetings to keep the community informed of issues of their concern.

Kanarian Kindred
“I’ll be watching the governor’s race for Illinois. There has been a lot of controversy revolving around certain positions that Gov. Blagojevich chose to vote for and against. Therefore, I look forward to seeing the outcome between him and (state Treasurer Judy Baar) Topinka.”

Joseph R. Holman
“Being from Mississippi, one of two states with a black majority after the Civil War, of which two blacks were elected as senators – South Carolina was the other state. And being denied the right to vote at the 1890 Mississippi Convention, I know how blacks suffered, therefore to me, all of the elections will be watched.”