Effingham County voters discuss 2024 election

Mar. 18—The 2024 election is in full swing as Effingham County residents, some of them first-time voters, head to the polls to vote in Illinois' primary elections on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77, are the presumptive nominees for their respective parties in the 2024 presidential election. Several young voters from the area aren't satisfied with either candidate as an option in the general election, and some have expressed concerns over their advanced age.

The county has also become a battleground in the race for Illinois' 12th Congressional District in which incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bost faces challenger Darren Bailey in the Republican primary Tuesday.

James Trueblood

James Trueblood, 33, of Effingham has identified as a Democrat for most of his life, but he voted as a Republican in the 2024 primary election.

"I kind of voted opposite of what I normally vote for," Trueblood said after casting his early voting ballot at the Effingham County Office Building on March 15.

Trueblood, who is a language teacher and a disabled U.S. Navy veteran, said the most important issues for him heading into the primary and the general election in November are the Russia-Ukraine war, veterans affairs and immigration.

Although he said he would rather see President Joe Biden's primary challenger, Marianne Williamson, as the Democratic Party's nominee for the 2024 presidential election, Trueblood doesn't believe she ever had much, if any, of a chance of winning the primary. He explained that he used to be a supporter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and feels that Williamson is the most similar as a candidate.

"Biden's going to win anyway. It's not like my vote would matter for her," Trueblood said.

While he's not very happy with Biden and Trump being the most likely candidates for the general election, he said he plans to vote for Trump in November, citing Trump's work with the VA and his opposition to foreign aid for Ukraine as its war with Russia drags on.

"He almost ended the Korean War, which has never ended, by stepping across the DMZ," Trueblood said of Trump. "Trump did a lot for Veterans and the VA administration, so I have to go with him this time instead of someone who's made it kind of worse in kicking people off benefits."

In the Republican primary election for Illinois' 12th Congressional District, Trueblood voted for Bost over Bailey.

"He made an effort to become friends with my family, like personal, and he remembered me," Trueblood said of Bost. "And Bailey is kind of extreme."

Tierney Hammer

Tierney Hammer, 26, of Effingham is a Democrat, and she voted early, on March 16, at the Effingham County Office Building.

In addition to working for the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans, Hammer is an attorney. After voting, she said the most important issue for her as a voter is abortion following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court in June of 2022. At the time, Hammer was attending law school and preparing for the bar exam.

"One day, I was studying that abortion was a right, and then the next day, I didn't have that right any more," Hammer said. "It was a really weird time."

Hammer said she would like to see the Democratic Party nominate "more of a progressive candidate" than Biden, and she cited age as a significant concern with both Trump and Biden. She said she would prefer a younger candidate with "fresher and more contemporary ideas," and referenced U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as examples of the type of candidate she would rather see running in Biden's place.

"It wouldn't have been my first choice for either of them. I also think they're both older and don't represent the changing times," Hammer said of Biden and Trump. "Previously, I was a Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren supporter, but again, they're still too old."

"No candidate's perfect. You get what you get."

She said that despite her concerns, she plans to vote for Biden in November.

"You've got to vote. Otherwise, you can't complain later," Hammer said.

Although she voted in the Democratic primary election Saturday, Hammer commented on the Republican primary race between Bost and Bailey. Hammer said that while she's not a Bost supporter, she would rather see him elected than Bailey.

"I think he's more level-headed," Hammer said of Bost. "I think he's more of a traditional conservative, and I feel like I could debate his talking points. I think Bailey's a little out there."

Luke Koester

Luke Koester, 19, of Effingham said he identifies as a Republican on most issues, and he plans to vote for the first time in the 2024 election.

Koester, who is a part-time student at Lake Land College, said he's fine with Trump and Biden being the most likely nominees for their respective parties in the general election, but he noted that Biden's age is a concern for him — which is one reason why he plans to vote for Trump in November.

"I've always stuck with him," Koester said. "I just think Biden is not really running it. I just see all the clips of him. He can't really talk, so I don't think he should be the president.

"Trump is pretty old as well, but he can at least talk in front of a crowd."

Jared

One Lake Land College student, Jared, 37, said he plans to vote as an independent in the 2024 election. He asked that his last name not be used.

Rather than a single political issue, Jared is becoming increasingly concerned about the negative rhetoric he hears from both Republican and Democratic politicians.

"I lean independent because of the general rhetoric of each side and all choices at this point because you can directly see a video of somebody condemning something, and then their party turns around and does the same thing as soon as it's advantageous," Jared said. "And where you used to have faith in any part of that system, it's now not even thinly veiled."

Jared said that while he doesn't think independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has much of a chance of winning the presidential election in November, he plans to vote for him, explaining that the country's two dominant political parties have "left a bad taste" in his mouth.

"He's the only candidate that can string a full sentence together, and I hate that that's my criteria," he said of Kennedy. "I don't even like the guy.

"I'm willingly throwing a vote in a bucket that's not going to win because I'm not going to support either Republican or Democrat."

Justin Runde

Justin Runde, 19, of Teutopolis voted for the first time when he cast a ballot at the Effingham County Office Building on March 16. He identifies as a Republican.

Runde said the most important issue for him as a voter is border security, and he's glad that Trump is set to become the party's nominee and plans to vote for him in the general election in November. He noted that the age of the candidates isn't much of a concern for him.

"I just like his policies," Runde said of Trump.

Runde also said that he voted for Bost in the Republican primary race between Bost and Bailey.

"I just like him better," Runde said of Bost.

Alexa Alling

Alexa Alling, 18, of Shumway still isn't sure if she will vote in the 2024 election, but she's been considering it.

Alling, who is a student at Lake Land College, said she doesn't have any particular political leaning and is unsure of who she would vote for in the 2024 presidential election, assuming that Biden and Trump are the nominees.

"I think voting would be choosing the lesser of two evils," she said. "Honestly, I don't know. I feel like I can't accurately say because I don't know that much about either."

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.