by Neena Strichart
I made my typical evening phone call to my 94-year-old mom on Wednesday night just to say hello. For us, hellos usually go into about a one-hour conversation. That night, we burned up the phone lines for nearly two hours. When I first called, I hadn’t yet decided what the topic for my weekly column would be for this Friday. Just a few minutes on the phone with her helped me make up my mind.
When I call Mom, she is one to answer the phone in just one or two rings. That night, she picked up on the third ring. She apologized for taking so long and then explained that she was using her caller ID these days because she was tired of all the political calls. Since I live in Signal Hill and hadn’t received any calls, I figured since she lives in Long Beach, the calls she was referring to pertained to the Long Beach city election that is coming up June 3.
Just a few minutes into our conversation, I asked her permission to take notes. She agreed. So, using a small tablet, I took 12 pages of notes. Keep in mind these are her sentiments, not necessarily mine. I have transcribed my notes as follows:
Mom: I’m really using my caller ID these days. I’m getting two to three [political] calls a day— at least.
Me: Are they automated or live?
Mom: Some are a recording, and some are live voices who call me by name. It’s overkill. Especially on the mayoral, that’s basically all they are.
Me: How do these calls affect your decision on whom to vote for?
Mom: It doesn’t impress me at all. This year is like no year I can remember, in the way of phone calls and cardboard mailers, slick and heavy. Each [flyer] is more elaborate than the last.
Me: How have local elections changed over the past few years?
Mom: I’ve lived in Long Beach for almost 12 years. Before that, I was in Signal Hill for darn-near 50 years. I have never seen the deluge of flyers anytime before as I have this year. They are mostly for mayor, attorney and Assembly. I don’t even read them. If I weren’t saving them for you to read, I would put them straight in the recycle bin. I see residents where I live sorting through their mail right at our lobby’s bank of mailboxes and just leaving all the junk there without even glancing at it. It’s a total waste. The dollars could be used for something else.
Me: If you don’t read the mailers, how do you get your political information? What helps you decide who to vote for?
Mom: I subscribe to the newspaper (Press-Telegram), and of course I get the Signal Tribune. I read all the local political news.
Me: How influenced are you by endorsements?
Mom: (chuckles) I think it’s a case of “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”
Me: If endorsements don’t influence you, what does?
Mom: Newspapers and public forums. I like the ones put on by the League of Women Voters. I’m interested as a woman to a woman’s point of view. I like the way they put things on. These are women who have been active in the community.
Me: Have you made your decisions on whom you are voting for?
Mom: Yes.
Me: If you go to another forum before Election Day, do you think it could help you change your mind?
Mom: It’s doubtful, but possible. We haven’t had candidates come [to our senior residence] except for one mayoral candidate who didn’t win the first round. It’s too bad they don’t think to come meet us. And as far as the phone calls go, I don’t like being asked. I don’t choose to divulge who I am voting for. I have to walk across the room [to answer the phone], and I don’t like finding out that it’s a recording. A telephone call isn’t going to make up my mind for me. It’s just annoying. I find the official Voter Guide informative and newspaper articles, too. I have a long memory, and I have followed these candidates’ careers.
Me: When you gave me the first batch of mailers, there was only one that you brought to my attention. Do you remember that?
Mom: (giggles) Oh, that one! It made me laugh because of the difference in the size of the two gavels they used to illustrate the “length” of experience for each candidate. It was that one for attorney. Other than that, the stuff in the mail is repetitious. It’s a waste of the donors’ money having them try to cram something down our throats.
Me: Are you noticing political ads in your newspapers?
Mom: Not much.
Me: Why do you think that is?
Mom: Because somebody sold them a bill of goods by telling them that these big flyers will get our attention. I guess [the politicians] want newspapers to write articles and run press releases because it is free. Well, at least the mailers are helping support the post office.
Me: What would happen if all the local papers boycotted the next big city election and refused to take photos, cover events and run press releases?
Mom: It might just remind them of the importance of us older voters. We are more likely to look at the local newspapers, so these politicians would be better off doing ads in [daily and weekly] papers. It gives an air of more credibility. Maybe the young folks are buying it (flyer information and phone calls), but we seniors still depend on our newspapers. It has more credibility than just filling up our mailboxes with more dead trees.
