Monday, October 27, 2008

Canton Votes

If you have a moment you should check out a site called http://www.cantonvotes.com. Sounds like a regular local website on the elections, but it is not. Quite to the contrary... It's a website by the Dutch current affairs program 'EenVandaag' (OneToday) who are covering the US elections from right here in Stark County, Ohio.

They have a Dutch and an English-language website (just click on the US flag next to the top of the page) and are covering a variety of angles; portraits of local Cantonites, an exchange program between Hoover High and a Dutch highschool in Almere (NL) and stories and pieces about the national elections with a local perspective.

One other intersting angle they are covering is Dutch nationals that have made Stark County and Canton their new home. After a tip from my dad I sent the team of EenVandaag an email last week and after a call on Saturday we arranged for them to follow and interview me during the Sunday services at RiverTree Christian Church where I was running lights that weekend. The first (short) coverage is already available - in Dutch - on their website, but a more comprehensive interview is in the works for this coming Saturday.

For those with a more limited understanding of the 'Freaky Deaky' Dutch language, here is the English translation:

Five years ago Niels came to the United States working for a logistics provider in Cleveland. There he met his wife and together with her he moved to Canton. He is a volunteer at RiverTree Christian Church, a large church in Canton. This year he cannot yet vote but the vote of his American wife feels a bit like his. They are still undecided since they feel no candidate is an obvious choice. They are leaning towards Barack Obama. On the moral issues like abortion and gay marriage they differ with Obama's points, but Obama's stance on the war in Iraq and the economy will probably sway them to Barack Obama.

After reading the story we feel the reporter captured our stance very well. We are looking forward to the follow-up story. We'll keep you posted!

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