SILVERTON, Ore. (AP) - This quaint town, anchored by a downtown that boasts 125-year-old brick buildings with a few stately wood-frame houses on its perimeter, is split by the 45th Parallel.
There is another dividing line in the town of 9,500 that lies halfway between the equator and the North Pole: It is almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
Still, there are common concerns, like worries about the fitness of the presidential candidates and disgust at some of the tone of the presidential race. On statewide issues, a measure to impose a corporate tax has grabbed a lot of attention, and condemnation.
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JESSICA MAXWELL, mother, bartender at restaurant and bar The Gallon House
Maxwell, a petite 26-year-old with tattoos adorning one arm, said she has filled out her ballot, except for the nominees for president.
“I am terrified to vote,” she said. “I don’t think either of them are equipped to handle being president. I feel either one will cause problems for us as a country, like with other countries.”
Maxwell said she opposes Measure 97, which would increase taxes on companies with more than $25 million in annual sales in Oregon.
“It will hit smaller business owners who are trying to make a living for themselves and their families,” Maxwell said. “Smaller companies have to get their products from bigger companies.”
She also believes her utility and grocery bills will go up if the measure passes.
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R. WALTER YEATES, jewelry and rock shop owner
Yeates, who has thinning blond hair past his shoulders and a Colonel Sanders goatee, says he is a veteran political junkie, having been on the streets getting out votes for presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower before he was even born. That’s because his mother was an Eisenhower volunteer when she was pregnant.
Yeates, 65, says he believes the most important issue this election is choosing a presidential candidate who will appoint Supreme Court justices whose views he favors.
“I’m not fond of Trump, but the Supreme Court is vital,” Yeates said. One seat on the court remains open, and one or two might become vacant during the next presidential term, he noted. Yeates said he wants to see the court leave to the states issues like same-sex marriage, which he opposes.
His top Oregon issue this election is Measure 97.
“All these major corporations will pass it on to their customers and individuals,” he said. “It is regressive and will hit the poorest members of our society.”
Another issue is a measure allowing marijuana businesses in unincorporated parts of Marion County. Yeates wants the county to opt back in and allow pot businesses.
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JOHNNY MOYE, Johnny’s Barber Shop owner
Stepping into Moye’s barber shop, with a barber’s red-and-white pole slowly revolving next to the door, is like stepping back in time. Even the price for a haircut recalls days gone by: $12.
Moye remembers when people were more respectful of the office of the president. In 1981, President Ronald Regan was shot and severely wounded. Moye’s parents didn’t vote for Reagan but were glued to the television, hoping he would survive.
“I fear that level of respect and concern for the presidency is being degraded,” Moye said. “As goes the office, so goes the nation.”
He also complained that the political discourse goes from social media, to traditional media and then often winds up being a punch line on late-night TV.
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