Shop the Vote

Just hours before the 2008 presidential election, one Brookstone employee remains undecided, not only on which candidate to vote for, but whether to vote at all. He even considered writing Hillary on the ballot. Out of the 10 Civic Center workers and shoppers that I spoke to on Tuesday afternoon, De Yuan was one of only two people without a strong argument for either candidate. The other, Pete LaBrock, doesn't think either is qualified for the position.

Yet, both men could sense the Obama buzz in Lower Manhattan's political core. Along with six others, Yuan and LaBrock predicted an Obama victory tonight.

"I see people every day campaigning for Obama, but I don't see a lot for McCain," said Lana Grolikova, a Century Dental worker. These campaigners, mostly college students rallying behind Obama's plans for change, will be the deciding factor in the election, said Diane Allison, who works at the Christian Reading Room. But it's not just young people who favor Obama. Six business owners and employees I spoke to said that Obama will help bring customers back to stores currently suffering from the fallen economy.

"I think people will get excited about change and they will start spending more," said Sleepy's employee Tanya James, after giving me several other reasons to support Obama. Also, Obama's economic policies will generate tourism, which will help raise the value of the dollar, said John D., who works at Renaissance Jewelers II on Broadway. The mood in the store was tense this afternoon, with two of the employees arguing for McCain and John D. holding his ground in support of Obama.

But even Manager Rick Jude, a McCain fan, admitted that Obama would help the economy, albeit with reserve: "With Obama, we'll have a better economy. With McCain, we would have less money but much more national security."

The third Reconnaissance Jewelers II employee, Charisse S., remained firm in her strong support for McCain: "That Joe the Plumber is close to the heart."

None of these arguments helped to sway Yuan, still undecided, who continued to weight the options as I left the Brookstone store.

"One candidate has a bad track record, and one has no track record," Yuan said.

(Sign in front of Chambers Street polling station)