American Quest: Florida feelings
By CNN's Richard Quest
 |  Quest with Florida retirees |
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| YOUR SAY |
Check back to read a selection of your e-mails.
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MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- From the retirement home in Boca Raton, to the Latinos on Miami Beach, from the conservative voters on the Space Coast to the dropouts in Key West, I have traveled Florida to get a feeling of what this election is all about.
Florida was the obvious choice because of the electoral problems four years ago. And no one wants that to happen again! It is also a good choice because, besides the locals, I got to meet many tourists from all over the United States.
Whether they be Democrats, Republicans or independents, one thing was clear: Almost everyone was starting to listen to the candidates in the election.
Of course, those deeply committed to one side or the other are unlikely to suddenly change sides.
One Republican in Key West told me it would take an act of Congress before he would vote for John Kerry -- while at the retirement home an 84-year-old staunch Democrat dismissed one of her fellow residents who happens to be Republican by saying, "Ach, what do you expect? He's an idiot!"
Nearly everyone seems to be getting involved, which can only be good for the electoral process, the experts say. While in 2000 the turnout was a dismal 51.3 percent of registered voters, this time many are predicting a much higher involvement -- in part because of the problems in Florida four years ago.
Interestingly, I have only met one man who regrets his vote last time round. A Greek-American who voted for George W. Bush, he now says he believes his vote was a mistake and he's moved to the Kerry camp.
In Key West, where the hippies are more used to drinking and hanging out than deciding the weighty issues of day, they told me they would vote just to make sure there wasn't a repeat of 2000.
At Ron Jon's Surf Shop by the Kennedy Space Center, two fairly right-wing voters who happened to be sisters told me they were determined to vote to make sure Bush won.
Both sides it seems are determined to leave no room for doubt.
An apology
A word of apology as we start our dialogue together. I had hoped to report more from Florida, but the time and technical problems finally got the better of me. So I promise to you as I go around the rest of the United States that I will do better in filing more dispatches.
|  Key West advertises its proximity to Cuba. |
But please, you play your part too. Ask your questions; I will try to get the best answer for you. Have your say. Take me to task. Agree or disagree with me. I really want American Quest to be a place where we can have a chat, a natter, a good chinwag over what is happening in the U.S. election season. Whether your tipple is a cup of tea, a small sherry or a large larger, this is a place where we can both get it off our chest!
Write me at american.quest@cnn.com. A selection of your e-mails will be posted soon.
I am now in Atlanta, Georgia. I am here for a week and will write more about what I find. But some background first: Georgia voted for Bush in 2000, although Fulton County, where the capital Atlanta is located, was one of the few Georgia counties that voted for Al Gore. So, plenty to chew over.
