These 526 Voters Represent All of America. And …faculty.washington.edu/jwhelan/Articles/These 526 Voters...they’re likely to mute their harshest views and wrestle more deeply with

10/3/19, 8)19 AMThese 526 Voters Represent All of America. And They Spent a Weekend Together. - The New York Times

Page 1 of 44https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/02/upshot/these-526-…_id=00ce41b1d39f7c14aae3da46e6a20528&regi_id=8217845tion=topNews

By Emily Badger and Kevin QuealyPhotographs by Chad Batka and Celeste Sloman

Oct. 2, 2019

These 526 Voters RepresentAll of America. And TheySpent a Weekend Together.

AbigailParma, Ohio

AdamOwensboro, Ky.

AdamManlius, N.Y.

AimeeChicago, Ill.

AjareeWoodland Hills, Calif.

AlanSlidell, La.

AlanQuitman, Ark.

AlexanderLos Angeles, Calif.

THE UPSHOT

https://www.nytimes.com/

https://www.nytimes.com/section/upshot


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AlexisArcadia, Calif.

AliciaLowell, Mass.

AllanMorris, Ill.

AllanAtlanta, Ga.

AlonzoPocatello, Idaho

AlvinDavie, Fla.

AmandaElk Park, N.C.

AmeliaMacon, Ga.

AmiRockwall, Tex.

AmyMarion, Iowa

AnaEarlsboro, Okla.

AnaMidwest City, Okla.

AndrasBend, Ore.

AndrewMartinez, Calif.

AndrewPukalani, Hawaii

AngelaRancho Cordova, Calif.



AnnMidwest City, Okla.

AnthonyCovington, Tenn.

AprilOkanogan, Wash.

AprilAustell, Ga.

ArmandoOdessa, Tex.

BarbaraColumbia, Mo.

BarbaraNorth Branch, Minn.

BarbaraUnion City, Ga.

BarbaraCortland, N.Y.

BarryHermitage, Pa.

BarryCherry Hill, N.J.

BenjaminSangerville, Me.

Bernardo Berry Betty Beverly



GRAPEVINE,TEX. — The voters arrived from all over the country: nine of them named John, 10 who’d come from mobile

homes, four who lived in South Dakota. Twenty-seven considered themselves extremely conservative; 30 said they

were extremely liberal. Twenty-one were out of work and looking for it. Two came with service dogs. At least one

did not tell her parents she was coming here, because talking politics is so hard at home that she didn’t want to

admit she was flying to Texas to talk politics with people she didn’t know.

Wesley Chapel, Fla. Miami Gardens, Fla. Heber Springs, Ark. Frisco, Tex.

BeverlyNew Haven, Conn.

BiancaPeachtree City, Ga.

BillAustin, Tex.

BillConcord, Calif.

BonitaCincinnati, Ohio

BonnieWoodland Park, Colo.

BorisMaitland, Fla.

BrandiAzusa, Calif.

BrandonBrooklyn, N.Y.

BrianAlbuquerque, N.M.



These voters — 526 total, representative of Americans who are registered to vote — were invited to spend a

weekend in a resort outside Dallas to prove that there might be a better way to disagree. And, as the furor in

Washington was over the possible impeachment of the president, Donald Trump’s name

barely came up.

As they arrived, and in breaks between their discussions, The New York Times took a portrait of nearly every one

of them. Collectively, their faces are a reflection of all American voters.

just beginning to build

BrianClifton, Tex.

BrianLexington, Ky.

BrianMenomonie, Wis.

BriannaOntario, Calif.

BrigidBonita Springs, Fla.

BrittanieTulsa, Okla.

BrittanyOxnard, Calif.

BryanMendon, Mich.

Camille Carl Carla Carla

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/us/politics/trump-impeachment-whistle-blower.html



Ithaca, N.Y. Eau Claire, Wis. Manitowoc, Wis. Vinton, Iowa

CarolJacksonville, Fla.

CaroleAlbuquerque, N.M.

CatherineHampton, Va.

CathonyStone Mountain, Ga.

CathyWylie, Tex.

ChanelLong Beach, Calif.

CharleneEdmond, Okla.

CharlesCarlsbad, Calif.

CharlesHartford, S.D.

CharlesTampa, Fla.

CharlesOoltewah, Tenn.

CharlesNew Orleans, La.


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CherylGarfield Heights, Ohio

CherylTroy, Mo.

CherylMillsboro, Del.

CherylQueens, N.Y.

ChloeNorth Charleston, S.C.

ChrisManchester, N.H.

ChristaMinneapolis, Minn.

ChristinaStaten Island, N.Y.

ChristineFresno, Calif.

ChristineDallas, Tex.

ChristineIthaca, N.Y.

ChristopherTorrance, Calif.

ChristopherNaperville, Ill.

ChristyHeadland, Ala.

ChrystalBrooklyn, N.Y.

CindyPolson, Mont.



Put a diverse group of people in a room, the political scientists and argue, and

they’re likely to mute their harshest views and wrestle more deeply with rebuttals. They become more informed,

even more empathetic. And in this setting, the political scientists say, pollsters can get a picture of what people

believe when they’re not just relying on sound bites and tribal cues.

James Fishkin Larry Diamond

CinellaDel Valle, Tex.

ClarenceDania Beach, Fla.

ClarisaTopeka, Kan.

ClaudiaQueens, N.Y.

CodyAtlanta, Ga.

CorrinnaJonesboro, Ga.

CraigPhoenix, Ariz.

CraigThiensville, Wis.

CurtisSpokane, Wash.

CynthiaHermitage, Pa.

https://profiles.stanford.edu/james-fishkin

https://diamond-democracy.stanford.edu/



In Texas in late September, Mr. Fishkin and Mr. Diamond were trying this experiment ahead of the 2020 election

with a microcosm of American voters, each one selected from a nationwide survey of thousands of households to

resemble the country’s demographic diversity. “America in One Room,” the event was called.

Participants wore nametags without any indication of partisanship, and in the conversations that resulted, it was

often hard to tell which camp to place voters in.

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A raised about $3 million to fly everyone here to a hotel and convention center

with cowboy-themed carpets, 10 restaurants and an indoor river walk. The research institution at the

University of Chicago conducted in-depth surveys of the group and worked to find the right representation of

voters, calling some of them two, three, four times to coax them onto planes or away from home — sometimes for

the first time in their lives.

Many of the voters were sure at first that the invitation was a scam — an all-expenses-paid trip to a Texas resort to

… give their opinions?

nonpartisan group named Helena

NORC

Cynthia

North Port, Fla.

Cynthia

Topeka, Kan.

Dakota

Gainesville, Fla.

Dana

Brunswick, Ga.

https://helena.org/

https://www.norc.org/Pages/default.aspx


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North Port, Fla. Topeka, Kan. Gainesville, Fla. Brunswick, Ga.

DanielLakewood, Colo.

DanielaNew Paltz, N.Y.

DanielleLouisville, Ky.

DarlaSpencer, Neb.

DaveFredericksburg, Tex.

DavidCedar Rapids, Iowa

DavidMurrells Inlet, S.C.

DavidWest Bend, Wis.

DavidAmherst, N.H.

DavidPittsburgh, Pa.

DavidFolsom, Calif.

DavidChelsea, Mass.



DavidLas Vegas, Nev.

DavidEscondido, Calif.

DeliaSan Antonio, Tex.

DellaMemphis, Tenn.

DelorisMobile, Ala.

DemetricHammon, La.

DenisMobile, Ala.

DeniseJacksonville, Fla.

DennisWenham, Mass.

DesmondSalisbury, N.C.

DharmaLynn, Mass.

DianaFountain, Colo.

DianaSan Antonio, Tex.

DianeEl Mirage, Ariz.

DianeAtlanta, Ga.

DonArcadia, Calif.



DonPrattville, Ala.

DonaldSt. Robert, Mo.

DonaldAtlanta, Ga.

DonnaAnaheim, Calif.

DonnaIndian Land, S.C.

DonnaSt. Augustine, Fla.

DonnieWoodland Park, Colo.

DoriHomewood, Ill.

DorindaFremont, Calif.

DouglasSan Diego, Calif.

DuaneColumbia, S.C.

EbonyJacksonville, Fla.



Over four days, mostly in small groups, they debated foreign policy, health care, immigration, the economy and the

environment. They talked through policy proposals in a 55-page briefing booklet that made little mention of whom

the proposals came from. Partisan trigger words — Democrats, Republicans, progressives, conservatives — were,

by design, largely missing from the text.

Often, the language voters used was personal rather than political.

“You have to learn to listen to them,” Mr. Fishkin said. “They don’t talk the way policy wonks talk about an issue.

They bring their life experience, their observations. But they’re making arguments when they tell a story.”

EddieClifton, N.J.

EdithTopeka, Kan.

EdwardColumbia, Mo.

EdwardPort St. Lucie, Fla.

ElaineSchenectady, N.Y.

ElaineColton, Calif.

ElanaMiddletown, N.J.

ElishaGranbury, Tex.

ElizabethLake Oswego, Ore.

ElizabethSparks, Nev.



ElizabethCordova, Tenn.

ElizabethMaitland, Fla.

ElizabethChico, Calif.

EllenSt. Louis, Mo.

ElsaHarbor City, Calif.

EmilyKearns, Utah

EmilyMurrieta, Calif.

EmmaMason City, Iowa

EmmanuelBaldwin Park, Calif.

EricMatthews, N.C.

EricTopeka, Kan.

EricDana Point, Calif.

ErickMoreno Valley, Calif.

EstherChicago, Ill.

EugenioLexington, S.C.

EvelynBullhead City, Ariz.



FrancesWesterville, Ohio

FrederickColumbia, Mo.

GaryWalls, Miss.

GeorgeWest New York, N.J.

GinaLynn, Mass.

GlennHastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

GlennaMission, Tex.

GregoryMattoon, Ill.

HannahAtlanta, Ga.

HannahLexington, Ky.

HansBolivia, N.C.

HarryAmherst, Mass.



HeatherSpokane, Wash.

HeatherLas Vegas, Nev.

HeatherUniversity City, Mo.

HeatherWynantskill, N.Y.

HilaryGlastonbury, Conn.

HollisFellsmere, Fla.

HovhannesPeoria, Ill.

IdaBeaumont, Tex.

IngridEast Brunswick, N.J.

IraBrandon, Miss.

JackLansing, Mich.

JackieGlendale, Ariz.

JackieNashville, Tenn.

JacobAustin, Tex.

JacobHickory Hills, Ill.

JacquelineKingwood, Tex.



In one room, the debate among a dozen voters over what to do about the Affordable Care Act moved from one

personal testimonial to another: One man’s deductible rose to $3,000 from $500 after the law took effect. Another

man’s family premium had gone up to $2,600 a month. Across the table, one woman said her father had been found

to have colon cancer right after the law forced him to acquire insurance for the first time in his life.

“He would be homeless without it,” she said. “I don’t really know how I feel about it either, but I can tell you from

personal experience, it saved one life.”

As the room grew more somber, a man across from her said, “But now I can’t argue because of what your dad dealt

with.” Everyone broke into laughter.

JaimyceCincinnati, Ohio

JamesErie, Colo.

JamesMilton, Del.

JamesAdvance, N.C.

JamesWaverly, Neb.

JamesLincoln, Neb.



JamesColorado Springs, Colo.

JamesAltadena, Calif.

JamesSt. Joseph, Mich.

JamesSharon, N.H.

JamesChicago, Ill.

JamieLong Pine, Neb.

JamiePortland, Ore.

JanaBethLytle, Tex.

JanetLouisburg, N.C.

JarvisGainesville, Fla.

JasmineGreensboro, N.C.

JasonRichmond, Ind.

JayWest Palm Beach, Fla.

JaydenBrandon, Fla.

JeanetteGreenwood, Ind.

JeanetteCerritos, Calif.



JeffHuntsville, Ala.

JefferyPortland, Me.

JeffreyFrisco, Tex.

JenniferLongview, Tex.

JenniferSteilacoom, Wash.

JeremyWaynesville, Mo.

JerrySunland-Tujunga , Calif.

JerrySalem, Ore.

JerryNovi, Mich.

JessicaBloomfield, Conn.

JessicaMacon, Ga.

Jim BobKopperl, Tex.

JoanRoscoe, Ill.

JoanGermantown, Ill.

JoanMaple Grove, Minn.

JodiMarshalltown, Iowa



JoeMiddleboro, Mass.

JohnGramercy, La.

JohnWilmington, N.C.

JohnFloresville, Tex.

JohnDaphne, Ala.

JohnAltadena, Calif.

JohnWarren, Ind.

JohnMenomonie, Wis.

JohnLos Angeles, Calif.

JohnVienna, Ga.

JohnnieNewnan, Ga.

JoleneWagner, S.D.



In a different room, a middle-aged man sure that steep tariffs on China were necessary went back and forth with a

young woman who believed the tariffs were hurting her family’s South Carolina farm.

In another room, voters argued about whether Americans would willingly take the jobs that many immigrants do,

as a hotel worker whose employee badge identified him as from Mumbai came in to retrieve the coffee cart.

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Down the hall that same morning, another group kept brooding over immigration long after the session was

supposed to end. London Robinson, a 53-year-old from Chicago, wanted to share one last thing she’d recently seen

on her Facebook page, a story of immigrants transported to the United States inside of mattresses.

“When I saw these people cut the mattress, and you see the wire, and you see these are two living individuals in a

mattress that was shipped from wherever it was to this country — I’m like, ‘Oh my God,’” said Ms. Robinson, who is

African-American. What she saw inside were black bodies, covered in tufts of mattress filling.

“There has to be a better way,” she said. “I can see myself being transported in a mattress.”

Hers were the final words on the topic.

Joy Smith, RNCase Manager,Montefiore

Smart lovesproblems.Learn more

JonathanAustin, Tex.

JonathanCoachella, Calif.



JonathanDryden, N.Y.

JonathanChicopee, Mass.

JordanSpokane, Wash.

JorgeMiami, Fla.

JoseBaton Rouge, La.

JosefinaHawthorne, Calif.

JoselitoLas Vegas, Nev.

JosephPlano, Tex.

JosephJeffersonville, Ind.

JoshuaState College, Pa.

JoshuaLoretto, Tenn.

JoyKeyser, W.Va.

JoyceTorrance, Calif.

JudithMiddletown, Pa.

JudyAustin, Tex.

JustinAmherst, N.H.



KailanAugusta, Ga.

KarenUnion, Mo.

KarenClovis, Calif.

KarenTucson, Ariz.

Karen

Champion, Mich.

Karen

Port Huron, Mich.

Kari

Oklahoma City, Okla.

Kasondra

Jackson, Miss.

KathleenKennewick, Wash.

KathrynNaperville, Ill.

KatieFayetteville, N.C.

KayeConger, Minn.



KeaganProvidence, R.I.

KeithDetroit, Mich.

KeithDenver, Colo.

KelloggMequon, Wis.

KellySan Diego, Calif.

KennethHagerstown, Ind.

KennethKey West, Fla.

KevinBend, Ore.

KevinNew Hyde Park, N.Y.

KevinBerkeley, Calif.

KevinPhiladelphia, Pa.

KeyshunaSioux Falls, S.D.

KimberlyHamilton, Ohio

KiranjitRocklin, Calif.

KristenNew York, N.Y.

KunalSeattle, Wash.



Asked if these conversations had changed their minds at all, most people gave the same answer.

“No,” said Jack Jordan, a 63-year-old conservative from Lansing, Mich.

“No,” said Daniela Regier, a 42-year-old liberal from New Paltz, N.Y. The two had just spent the previous session

disagreeing about the wall (Mr. Jordan supports barriers that he points out Congress has talked about building

; Ms. Regier believes a wall will create environmental problems and waste money.) But they could not

help themselves from good-naturedly continuing to try to convince each other, even as they agreed that their

opinions held firm.

“I did not change my mind about anything,” James Mowrey, a 33-year-old microbiologist from Lincoln, Neb., said

during the first full day of discussion. But he thought he understood better why some people feel a moral obligation

to resettle refugees.

since 2006

KurtWest Plains, Mo.

LaChoneCharlotte, N.C.

LarrietteCharlotte, N.C.

LarryLos Molinos, Calif.

LarryOakdale, Calif.

LauraGresham, Ore.

Laura Laura Laura Lauren

https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061026-1.html



LauraOwls Head, N.Y.

LauraNew Orleans, La.

LauraRadcliff, Ky.

LaurenJacksonville, Fla.

LaurieLong Beach, Ind.

LeeBloomer, Wis.

LennoxLexington, N.C.

LeSandraAtlanta, Ga.

LeslieWolf Point, Mont.

LianaValrico, Fla.

LindaMonroe, N.Y.

LindaCheney, Wash.

LindaTorrance, Calif.

LindaGoodlettsville, Tenn.

LindyClearwater, Minn.

LisaFarmingdale, N.Y.



LloydSlidell, La.

LoganPlymouth, Minn.

LondonChicago, Ill.

LonnieFlossmoor, Ill.

LoraWest Plains, Mo.

LorenzoPasadena, Calif.

LoriCornelius, N.C.

LouisQueens, N.Y.

LouisSt. Louis, Mo.

LowellSeattle, Wash.

LucilleAlbuquerque, N.M.

LynnKingston, N.Y.

M. PatriciaWestchester, Ill.

MangoSacramento, Calif.

MargaretSewell, N.J.

MargaretNew Orleans, La.



MariaAmerican Falls, Idaho

MariaSouth Hill, Va.

MarianneBaton Rouge, La.

MarileeHarriman, Tenn.

MarilynMariposa, Calif.

MarionAustin, Tex.

MarkMaple Valley, Wash.

MarkOroville, Calif.

MarkMiddleboro, Mass.

MarkWestern Springs, Ill.

MarkSomerville, Mass.

MarkMorgan Hill, Calif.



“I’m sorry, I’m too pigheaded; they didn’t convince me,” said Susan Bosco, a 76-year-old from Democratic-leaning

Northern Virginia, who said that in her daily life she rarely encountered people as conservative as those she had

met here. “I don’t think the purpose of this conference was to change people’s minds. I think the purpose of this

conference was to get people to accept each other’s points of view in a civil manner.”

“I may not have changed my position,” said Bonnie Sumner, 74, from Woodland Park, Colo. “But I’ve changed my

understanding of the woman in the group who said, ‘You know what, I had great health care, it worked for me, and

the Affordable Care Act changed things, and I’m worse off now.’ I didn’t change my position that I think we should

take the A.C.A. and tweak it. But I’ve changed my understanding that there are people who’ve tried their best and

done nothing wrong, and it put them in a worse situation.”

“But you already knew that,” chided her husband, whom she had brought along for the weekend.

“But to me,” Ms. Sumner said, “a perfectly rational person who has no political agenda just said to me, ‘Oh, you

know what, this was bad for me.’”

MarkMilwaukee, Wis.

MarkDana Point, Calif.

MarkusOntario, Ore.

MarthaBrooklyn, N.Y.

MarthaLong Beach, Ind.

MaryDuncanville, Tex.

Mary Mary Mary Mary



Okmulgee, Okla. Bay Minette, Ala. Marquette, Mich. Colorado Springs, Colo.

MaryGrand Chute, Wis.

MaryIndianapolis, Ind.

MattNampa, Idaho

MattWashington, D.C.

MatthewPlymouth, Wis.

MatthewSan Antonio, Tex.

MaxwellWinona, Minn.

MeghanCambridge, Ill.

MelanieOroville, Calif.

MelinaLas Vegas, Nev.

MelindaCrawfordsville, Ind.

MelviaFort Worth, Tex.



MichaelSt. Louis, Mo.

MichaelAustin, Tex.

MichaelWest Columbia, S.C.

MichaelClio, Mich.

MichaelLawrenceville, Ga.

MichaelPort St. Lucie, Fla.

MichaelSilver Spring, Md.

MichaelMacon, Ga.

MichelleDenver, Colo.

MikeGreer, S.C.

NadiaLong Beach, Calif.

NancyFort Lauderdale, Fla.

NancyPetaluma, Calif.

NancyChico, Calif.

NancyCathedral City, Calif.

NatalieNew Orleans, La.



NathanBuffalo, N.Y.

NathanFresno, Calif.

NicoleMonticello, Iowa

NicoleIndianapolis, Ind.

NoahNorth Chesterfield, Va.

NoahLincoln, Neb.

NoreenNewark, Del.

Nour EddineChicago, Ill.

PamalaDenver, Colo.

PamelaAtlanta, Ga.

PamelaManitowoc, Wis.

PatriciaMeans, Ky.



In fact, some people did change their minds. Public opinion in general is fluid, shifting as issues become more

prominent in the news, or as partisan cues become clearer. But the voters here appeared to shift as a group in some

ways that can’t be explained by typical polling movement over time.

NORC surveyed the group before the conference, and again on the same questions at the end; the results were

compared with a similar panel of voters who did not get an intense dose of deliberative democracy in the interim.

Voters at the event on both the left and the right appeared to edge toward the center. Democratic support receded

for a $15 federal minimum wage and for “Medicare for all”; Republican support grew for rejoining the Paris climate

agreement and for protecting from deportation immigrants brought to the United States as children.

PatriciaEuclid, Ohio

PatriciaFort Smith, Ark.

PattyGregory, S.D.

PaulMacedonia, Ohio

PaulFranklin, Tenn.

PaulRockford, Ill.

PeggyColorado Springs, Colo.

PeterLakeville, Minn.

PeterChicago, Ill.

PhilipCrossville, Tenn.



RandiEscondido, Calif.

RandyLittleton, Colo.

RaymondSterling, Colo.

RebaVallejo, Calif.

RebeccaGuthrie, Okla.

ReginoldEscondido, Calif.

RenettaChicago, Ill.

RhondaAlbuquerque, N.M.

RichardPensacola, Fla.

RikeyaTulsa, Okla.

RitaLawrenceville, Ga.

RobertBluff City, Tenn.

RobertOswego, Ill.

RobertBrooklyn, N.Y.

RobertCranford, N.J.

RobertMurrells Inlet, S.C.



Oswego, Ill. Brooklyn, N.Y. Cranford, N.J. Murrells Inlet, S.C.

RobertLewes, Del.

RochellePortland, Ore.

RodneyPhelan, Calif.

RogerWelty, Okla.

RogerBellingham, Wash.

RohitRichmond, Tex.

RollandBig Spring, Tex.

RonaldSimi Valley, Calif.

RonaldPooler, Ga.

RonnieRedlands, Calif.

RosaCatonsville, Md.

RosamariaSan Antonio, Tex.



RosemarieLebanon, Pa.

RubenSan Diego, Calif.

RuthEureka Springs, Ark.

SallySan Francisco, Calif.

SamPort St. Lucie, Fla.

SamiLincoln, Neb.

SamirCollege Station, Tex.

SandiHarrison, Mich.

SandraParrish, Fla.

SandraCincinnati, Ohio

SanjayNorth Port, Fla.

SarahParkville, Mo.

SarahSunnyvale, Calif.

SarahThree Rivers, Mich.

SchanikaBelleville, Ill.

ScottEast Northport, N.Y.



These answers, Mr. Fishkin argues, better approximate public opinion in a society where voters are informed. And

from inside this carefully constructed model of democracy in Texas, the share of participants who said they thought

American democracy worked well doubled, to 60 percent.

Many participants described their surprise at finding common ground with one another — a prospect easier to

attain when the questions are about increasing economic security or lowering health care bills, and not impeaching

the president.

SeanCharlotte, N.C.

ShaeGrand Rapids, Mich.

SharonSt. Johnsbury, Vt.

SharonSan Clemente, Calif.

SharonSt. Johnsbury, Vt.

ShawnBerkeley, Ill.

Sheng YangBerkeley, Calif.

SheriJacksonville, Fla.

SherrieCasper, Wyo.

SherryFarmington, Mo.



StaceyHummelstown, Pa.

StaceyJensen Beach, Fla.

StanleyLincoln, Mass.

StephanieNew York, N.Y.

StephanieFresno, Calif.

StephanieEdinburg, Tex.

SteveAlbert Lea, Minn.

StevenHarriman, Tenn.

StevenTool, Tex.

SusanBolivia, N.C.

SusanChicago, Ill.

SusanSanta Cruz, Calif.



SusanRichmond, Ky.

SusanFairfax, Va.

SymphonyVirginia Beach, Va.

T JaalinSeffner, Fla.

TamukaOviedo, Fla.

TaraRedmond, Ore.

TarenDowningtown, Pa.

TaylorTexarkana, Ark.

TeresaWestfield, Mass.

TerranceSorrento, La.

TerrellCosta Mesa, Calif.

TheresaTigard, Ore.

ThomasCheektowaga, N.Y.

ThomasBentleyville, Pa.

ThomasPensacola, Fla.

ThomasHolden, Mass.



ThomasNew Brunswick, N.J.

TiffanyMedford, Ore.

TiffanyCordele, Ga.

TimReidsville, N.C.

TinaBend, Ore.

ToniMarquette, Mich.

ToniWilmington, N.C.

TravisFresno, Calif.

TrevonWindsor, N.C.

TrishaSheboygan, Wis.

TwilaPace, Fla.

TyrusHouston, Tex.



TyshaunLansing, Mich.

VamsiQueens, N.Y.

VasanthaSan Jose, Calif.

VeronicaLos Angeles, Calif.

VictorFort Lauderdale, Fla.

VikramBound Brook, N.J.

VirginiaMonument, Colo.

WallaceSt. Paul, Minn.

WaveParkville, Md.

WayneNew Orleans, La.

WellsRio Vista, Tex.

WendyFort Leonard Wood, Mo.

WilbertBrunswick, Ohio

WillRockbridge, Ohio

WilliamWalnut, Calif.

WilliamLas Vegas, Nev.



In principle, there is something hopeful in these findings. But an essential part of what happened here will be

harder to replicate than the structured discussions. Over several meals, a 24-year-old African-American man, a

cashier from Michigan, became close to three 70-something white men in his group. At the bar one night, a 69-year-

old retired nurse from Atlanta bought a drink for a woman she’d just met from San Antonio, who was turning 35

that day.

Everywhere there were unlikely pairings of people, just talking, with no moderators.

And then Mr. Mowrey, the microbiologist from Nebraska, walked away from dinner on the last night to say that the

people around him had, in the end, changed his thinking about something. He considered himself a free-market guy,

someone who believed government should stay out of health care. He now thought that a public option would be a

good idea, no small leap on the spectrum of health care positions. The government could create more competition in

the market, his group helped convince him.

“They explained it to me in the way I think,” he said. And he seemed pleased to have changed his mind.

Everyone on one map

13 Michiganders, including

Mary, Toni and Karen from the

Upper Peninsula

Benjamin from

Sangerville, Me.

Cindy from

Polson, Mont.

Leslie from

WilliamWilmington, N.C.

WilliamLos Angeles, Calif.

ZacharyFairmont, W.Va.

ZahidMooresville, N.C.

ZahraPhiladelphia, Pa.



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Wolf Point, Mont.Maria and Alonzofrom southeastern Idaho

Emily from

Kearns, Utah

Robert from

Brooklyn

74 Californians,

including Kellyfrom San Diego

Karen from

Tucson, Ariz.

Andrew from

Pukalani, Hawaii Kenneth from Key West, Fla.



About the survey

The registered voters in “America in One Room” were drawn from , a nationally representative panel developed by NORC at the University of Chicago.

The sample was designed to be representative of registered voters by age, race, gender, educational attainment and geography. For many of these variables — likebeing age 40 to 49, or living in New England — the group pictured above closely matches the population of registered voters in America, even without surveyweights. But, without survey weights, white voters were underrepresented (64 percent of the group was non-Hispanic white, compared with 73 percent in censusdata), as were voters who did not attend college (10 percent of the group, compared with 27 percent among all registered voters). And combinations of thesevariables are not necessarily representative. For example, young white voters were underrepresented.

The Times photographed 519 of the 526 respondents who attended the event. Names and locations are based on those reported by the respondents.

Produced by Stephen Reiss, Rumsey Taylor and Josh Williams

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These 526 Voters Represent All of America. And …faculty.washington.edu/jwhelan/Articles/These 526 Voters...they’re likely to mute their harshest views and wrestle more deeply with