Samantha Devlin was about 15 when her mom sat her down for “the talk.” The now 24-year-old New Orleanian remembers the conversation well.
“It was a little uncomfortable at first, but she said that when I turned 18 I’d start catching the eyes of politicians, and that they would tell me anything just to get my ‘V.’ But she also kept reminding me how special my vote is and to not give it to just anyone.”
With the November 4th elections coming up, Samantha says she has been inundated with sweet talk and proposals from several political candidates looking to close the deal with her, especially state senate candidates Mary Landrieu (D) and Bill Cassidy (R).
“I’ve gotten so many letters, phone calls, texts and knocks at the door from Landrieu and Cassidy that it’s borderline obsessive. They all only think about my ‘V’ card. I’m a person, too, dammit.”
As the political races heat up, Samantha has noticed an even greater increase in communication where candidates continually put opponents down and build up their own qualities in an attempt to win her love.
“Politicians will do and say anything to get your V, and once they do most of them stop answering your calls and are seemingly always out of town. It’s hard to trust any of them after that.”
While it’s been only six years since her first time, Samantha says she is careful with voting because her mom’s talk helped prepare her for the various kinds of politicians out there.
“You’ve got Mary saying you’re with her and Bill telling people he’s with you. So possessive and clingy. It’s crazy. Sometimes, I wonder if there are any nice, normal politicians left in the world.”
Surprisingly, there is a third politician who seems to fill that nice guy role. Rob Maness (R), the long-shot candidate, was readily available to talk with Samantha but ultimately was turned down so as to not ruin their friendship.