GOP hosts straw poll to gauge local input

Grassroots Conservatives conducted a straw poll Tuesday to gauge the current standing of several GOP candidates running for office in the upcoming primary election.

The straw poll allowed the audience to assess the worthiness of the nine candidates on a variety of issues expected to be of concern later this year.

Some of the issues discussed included the food and beverage tax and the recent assessor’s error that resulted in the county having to reimburse a taxpayer $700,000.

“Our main goal is to develop enthusiasm and identify our strongest candidates,” Grassroots Conservatives Coordinator Robert Hall said.

Grassroots Conservatives is an umbrella organization comprising conservative Republicans, Tea Party patriots, Libertarians and other conservative groups.

Many of the candidates are unknown to potential voters, Hall said.

The poll gives the voters the chance to hear from those who the community might not have otherwise heard.

Some members of the crowd thought that goal was met.

“There were 60 people in here, spread out amongst the county, so it gives you a good measuring stick,” IU College Republicans President Riley Parr said.

“The main key is whether or not these people go out there and talk to other
voters.”

The event had a good turnout and was recorded by Community Access Television Services, said Gregg Knott, a candidate running for a Monroe County council seat.

The candidates were each asked to present a five-minute speech introducing themselves and addressing questions pertaining to the office they were running for.

Questions included who U.S. Representative candidates would vote for as Speaker of the House and what county council candidates thought of the food and beverage tax and the juvenile county option income tax.

Following the speeches, the crowd was asked to vote not for their favorite candidate, but for whether they would vote for that candidate in an actual election scenario.

To remove bias when voting on more than two candidates, Hall used an independent voting system.

Audience members in attendance could state their endorsement, neutrality or disapproval of a candidate.

“The way to do that is to vote on each candidate with a plus, minus or zero,” Hall said.
“You can give pluses to all three of them if you want.”

Votes were tallied for each candidate, and the candidate with the most positive rating won.

This voting system was more a measure of approval than a means of seeing who is the best candidate to choose to run in the primary election, Parr said.

“A plurality vote represents how it actually is on election day,” Parr said.

Kathy Lowe Heil won the spot for United States Representative and Paul White and Gregg Knott received highest approval for Monroe County Council.

“People are just not happy with the job Mr. Young is doing,” Heil said. “They’re just happy to know there is another choice.”

Primary elections will take place May 6 at the Showers Hall City Building.