What voters said

On voting, mayor’s race

“It is your civic duty and you have no right to complain if you don’t vote. I voted for Jeff Longwell. I like his connections with Wichita State. He has a more moderate view on how to attract businesses and jobs.”

David Cherry, 65, Wichita

“Job growth is the most important to me. It is very difficult to see cities like Kansas City, Tulsa, Des Moines, etc., outtake Wichita. … It is time for someone to see Wichita as a bigger picture and capture that vision and make it happen.”

Sasha Schmidt, 25, Wichita

“The only way to see change is if you vote. That’s the only way people who aren’t in government can do it. I go to school at WSU and I’ve seen all these signs around campus that say ‘Sam’s the Man.’ I thought it was pretty smart of them to put those around a college campus.”

Grace Powell, 20, Wichita

“It seemed like there was a lot of angst going on in the mayor’s race, and it made me want to vote.”

Tom Pronold, 64, Wichita

“The mayor’s race was very, very interesting. I was for Sam Williams until he started putting out the negative ads. Then when they fact-checked him and it wasn’t true, I changed my vote.”

Marilyn McKee, 73, Wichita

On marijuana

“I voted no. I don’t agree with it. If people use it, they are still going to get caught. If you get caught at work, you are still going to be fired. They still will have to go through drug rehab. I’ve just had too many friends who start with pot and end up dying. It is a gateway drug.”

Arnold Graef, 62, Wichita

“I think they should have carried it further. I voted for it. There are too many people that get charged. We could do better with our money and with our time. This is something that stays on the record forever. We all make mistakes.”

Ernie Williams, 66, Wichita

“If we were voting both marijuana and alcohol out, I’d vote them both out. There’s not a whole lot of difference between them, in my opinion. You know what they’re going to do with that second chance.”

Randy Slaughter, 65, Wichita

“I was sort of on the fence about it. I went against it because I don’t think it’s necessarily the best thing for you. If we have laws against it, we should have adequate punishments.”

Tony Powell, 18, Wichita

“I did vote yes because they don’t need so many people in jail. That is a problem. It is horrific so many incarcerated people for minor offenses like that. And murderers are still running the street. What these people need is some community work or something rather than putting them in jail.”

Francine Miller, 65, Wichita

“I’m a marijuana supporter. I also like the fact that Jeff Longwell was one of the council members who agreed to let the voters decide what to do about the marijuana initiative.”

Scott Hoffman, 34, Wichita

This story was originally published April 7, 2015 at 8:05 PM with the headline "What voters said."