"I have never voted a straight ticket in my life, probably because I depend upon others doing the same thing," John W. Sears '52, the Republican candidate for Massachusetts Secretary of State, said last night.

Speaking at Eliot House, Sears advocated a moderate position. "The solution is at the center," he said adding, "I see both sides of the issue...then I attempt to resolve them."

Working within the framework of a traditionally Democratic state, Sears said he hopes that the voters will avoid voting strictly on party affiliation. "The people must elect those individuals who know what they are doing," he said.

The outcome of the recent election did not reflect polarization around the issues, Sears said. Upsets in the primary were the result of "enormous anger coupled with apathy," he said. Rather than knowing what they did want, the voters "knew what they did not want" he added.

Instructive

With the approach of the state's 350th birthday, the next Secretary of State will have a special job, Sears said.

"I would like to use that birthday to get people excited about their roots...to develop an interest in historic preservation," he said. "A preservation system is labor intensive in that it generates jobs," he added.