Athens County might not be so blue these days.
The numbers might say Democrats reign in Athens County, but conservative mindsets wait just below the surface.
We're not really a minority -we're just quiet
said Annie Mitchell, an Ohio University junior journalism and history major. Mitchell said she believes there are more conservatives in Athens County than people think.
There are about 46,330 registered voters in Athens County, but the majority are not registered with one specific party. There are about 2,600 registered Republicans in the county, while the Democrats boast about 10,000 registered voters, said Kathy Kyle, Athens County Board of Elections director.
A major reason for fewer registered Republicans is because if a voter does not vote in a primary every two years, party affiliation is changed to independent, said Pete Couladis, Athens County Republican Party Chair.
But Couladis said Athens is still seen as something of a Democratic county.
It's always a problem getting candidates to run as Republicans he said.
However, Mitchell said she has had some difficulty voicing her opinions on campus.
Her freshman year, Mitchell wrote an anti-abortion letter-to-the-editor. After this was published, Mitchell received troublesome phone calls from those who did not agree with her views.
Mitchell said it is often difficult to see the conservative mindset on campus, but she thinks OU is not as liberal as it is considered. When she attended College Republican meetings before the election, each meeting was packed with ardent supporters of President George W. Bush.
However, it might not be as easy as some say to classify people and their beliefs -Athens County Democratic Party Chairwoman Susan Gwinn said she does not like labels, such as conservative, liberal, Democrat or Republican.
The labels of liberal and conservative can't be applied to everyone Gwinn said.
The lines for conservatives and liberals often are blurred by those who do not analyze their views as a whole, but issue by issue, said Rep. Jimmy Stewart, R-Athens.
Stewart's district includes Athens, Meigs and Morgan counties and about one-third of Washington County. Stewart said all of the counties, with the exception of Athens County, lean to the right. These counties have either one or two elected Democratic officials, while Athens is the opposite.
In Athens County, the Democrats control all but one county office. The lone Republican is County Auditor Jill Thompson, who was appointed in 2000 and then elected by voters in 2002.
Thompson said her conservatism makes her something of a rarity in Athens County, but political leaning does not matter when you are trying to the best job for your constituents.
In county government
there's not a lot of different platforms to take
Thompson said.
17
Archives
Chris Yonker
