Bernie Sanders Richmond Rally Encourages Early Voting

A capacity crowd spilled out from Richmond’s Craneway Pavilion at a campaign rally for presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Sanders repeated promises of a $15 dollar minimum wage, universal health care and more affordable housing.

Connie McFarland, a bus driver from Pittsburg, attended the rally. For her, college for all is an important issue.

“If we’re going to keep up as a nation, everybody needs to be educated,” McFarland said. “I also believe that people should have a living wage. Because right now, if you look at the housing prices, you can’t afford to live here unless you’ve already purchased your home.”

Sanders said that Super Tuesday, March 3, when California holds its primary along with 13 other states will be “the most consequential election in modern history in the country.”

He asked the audience to not only vote, but also to ensure friends and family do as well. “I’m here to ask you to vote — to vote early,” Sanders said. “To bring your aunts and uncles and grandparents and friends and co-workers.”

Sanders also reminded no party preference voters, who make up the second largest political affiliation in the state, behind Democrats, to change their party preference to Democrat if they want to vote in the presidential primary.