Voters would like to see candidates for political office speak to issues affecting them

General Elections are quickly approaching, and before we realize it, Tuesday, November 7, will be upon us, with every candidate clamoring for our vote, stating he or she is the best person for the job.

- Lorraine Lavender-Sams

Lately, politicians have established a new precedent of giving us not even an inkling of what they stand for, where they come from, what issues affecting us as voters they support or don’t support, what policies they agree with or don’t, what makes them stand apart from the herd of political wannabes that crop up around election time making promises, shaking hands, kissing babies, visiting senior homes and centers, throwing out first pitches at little league games, dragging out the family lineages to prove to potential voters they’re the person for the job.

Speaking with some young women from Philadelphia’s inner city gave me even more of a perspective on how many Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z feel about candidates currently on the ballot in the city. Constituents, especially the younger generation, feel that in many cases, they’re just pawns in the political system, that politicians only come around when there’s a photo op or they want your vote. Otherwise, they’re normally unavailable. They feel that it’s the same group of people running for offices who covent those offices as if the seats were a lifetime appointment.