What issue matters most to you?

If you spent any time watching YouTube recently, you might have seen a slew of videos uploaded by voters, news organizations, and the candidates surrounding the Pennsylvania primaries. A lot has happened on the campaign trail since the last primary in Mississippi over a month ago, and so we partnered with C-SPAN to see what issues are on voters' minds right now.

During the last three weeks, many of you around the country submitted responses to the question "What issue matters most to you in this election, and why?"; your videos touched on such issues as healthcare, education, the economy, and immigration. Among the most memorable was this video from a teenager concerned about the Iraq War, and JoeFelice's video called "Where's Washington", which uses a clever pun to discuss the importance of checking governmental power.

In the past week, the C-SPAN bus rolled across Pennsylvania to ask voters the same question, and hundreds of people weighed in. See the clips below from college students, parents, military veterans, local and state politicians, and other citizens who agreed to go on-camera to voice their hopes, fears and dreams about the country's future.

In this video, star tuba player Michael Stephan shows off his musical skills and then voices his thoughts about the skyrocketing costs of college tuition. In this passionate response, Councilwoman Elizabeth Goreham says that the environment is our No. 1 issue — and that she's not particularly happy with how politicians are currently addressing it. Several of the most powerful responses were also among the shortest, like this clip from Alex, a sophomore at Temple University who was diagnosed with cancer last year and has healthcare issues top of mind, or this one from Ada Tate, who's most concerned about gun laws.

C-SPAN broadcast some of the best responses on their national television program Washington Journal, highlighting a range of opinions about the issues that come up most often. Check out our playlist to watch more of these and other related videos.


With Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain scoring victories yesterday in Pennsylvania, the race moves on to Indiana and North Carolina on May 6. Keep an eye on our You Choose '08 page to see which issues are weighing most heavily on voters' and candidates' minds.

Yours,
Steve G.