If it’s Tuesday, it must be time for another special election. Citizens of Newton, you know the drill: Get dressed. Eat your porridge. Battle for a place to park. Wait in line. Vote. Then vote again! And then report back here. Polls close at 8 p.m.
This election day is so ‘special’ folks in Newton get to vote twice!
by Greg Reibman | Jun 25, 2013 | Newton | 24 comments
Surprisingly robust turnout in the Highlands. I actually had four people in line ahead of me and three folks behind me. And by 8:30, fifty percent of the registered voters on my street (OK, only five houses) had voted.
Unfortunately, the customary tradition of reporting the tally on the voting machine won’t help this time since the senate and aldermen ballots are counted separately.
Hi Greg,
You didn’t answer an important question: Was there a bake sale? Are they feeding us?
No Bake sale at the Hyde, and I know nothing at 545 Grove Street 🙁
Hmm – I just got back from voting and only had one ballot for the senate race, and received no alderman ballot (really).
It’s a bit disturbing since I intended on voting for Scott Lennon. With this level of voting irregularities, Mr. Lennon should consider demanding a recount of the final tally.
Uh, Jerry, in an uncontested election, there is no way Scott Lennon can lose. All kidding aside, it is worrisome that you were not offered a yellow municipal ballot. Did you ask for one and not get it or did no one ask whether you wanted one?
As of 8:30 a.m., voter turnout was dismal in Ward 3 precincts 1 and 3. There are a lot of Bruins fans in Ward 3 who are too depressed to leave the house, I guess.
No, I didn’t ask for it, and no one offered one. I’m OK with that. I’m confident will Scott Lennon will still get the majority of votes, even without mine.
Ward 4 had both yellow and white ballots and asked if I wanted both.
It was very efficient but at 845 am very busy. Lots of people voting.
Jerry Reilly — Do you go to Emerson? At Emerson there were two individuals checking voters in (one with each ballot) and two checking out. Maybe they didn’t have the process ironed out when you arrived, or the second person forgot to hand the ballot to you?
The process was completely different to the process described with the BoA. The BoA was told there needs to be two separate lines with two separate ballot boxes. Did Newton get some type of formal Opinion letter to ensure there will be no claims against this process?
Apparently a single box works, as long as you don’t insert the ballots at the same time.
Oh, Ted, it’s possible to lose… There’s a space for write-ins
Hoss, a transcript of the Programs & Services Committee meeting at which the special election was discussed is available here. Unless I missed something, the acting director of elections, Peter Koutoujian, Sr., talked about two ballots and two check-in lines but I do not see anything about two machines. But it does make interesting reading (well, maybe if you’re a wonk like me).
&Hoss – yeah, I was at the Emerson first thing this morning. As you say, probably before they got it ironed out.
Ted-Hess Mahan — I thought it was two separate machines, but maybe two separate transportation boxes? Part of the cost of doing this had something to do with ballots remaining separate and the city said it would buy extra equipment
Speaking of elections… although it’s a future one:
On NewTV: Mayoral Challenge/Newton Centre Traffic: 12:30 today, tomorrow at 7am and 130pm, and Thursday at 630pm: Newton Newsmakers with guests Ted Hess-Mahan in the first segment, and Bob O’Leary Liz Scott, and DPW Commissioner Dave Turocy in the second segment.
Seg1: *Hess Mahan calls Mayor Warren’s leadership style into question.
Seg2: *Turocy says “if we have to eat the cost of taking out the bumpout, we’re willing to do that”.
Comcast 8. Verizon 34. RCN 15.
Ward 3 also had pairs of check-in and check-out people side by side. It was as ready as it could be. I was ballot 398 & 399 to go through three 3/3 machine at 11:37, whatever that means. No line, no wait, did see other voters, but no signholders nor even any signs outside. Oh well, at least the Bruins were exciting.
I voted this morning at about 9:20 at Emerson. There was a Markey poll watcher there. I asked him how many had voted so far, he said he was only counting his list of Markey supporters and there had been 35 at that point. The machine said 238, but it was counting both ballots individually and a lot of people didn’t take the yellow ballot as it was uncontested. So my guess was 140 people had voted at that point.
My point here is – everyone needs to get out and vote. Each vote is important.
To answer the question about one ballot box for two elections, it was explained in the debate about whether or not to piggyback the elections that the boxes are so clever that they can read and report out totals in two separate elections at once.
@Brian, I thought that might be the case, since they’re smart enough to read the ballots either side up.
An update on 3/1 & 3/3 (West Newton Community Service Center). In the time I spent walking around the ballfield looking for Cerceris wasp nests (See http://village14.com/netwon-ma/2012/08/anyone-seen-wasp-nests-like-this-in-newton/#axzz2XFLDgtJZ — more on that later), a lone Markey signholder arrived.
Voted just before noon at Bigelow (1/3). I got both ballots, but wasn’t immediately offered 2. I know they’re not used to that convention, but weird. Anyway, I got the Senate ballot and said “Isn’t there a local election as well?” Then I was offered the Alderman ballot. I guess I said the secret word.
My ballots, entered into the same machine (odd, but ok I guess) were 343 and 344 for the 1/3
Isn’t this special two-ballot system showing there really isn’t any checks and balances between ballots handed out, ballots accepted at check-out, and ballots inserted in the machines? The check-out people didn’t seem to be looking to see if you had two ballots in your hand so that part can’t be too accurate today
@Scott Lennon. Stay calm. Less than 3 hours before the polls close. I feel confident you are going to pull off a solid victory. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that you will eke out a victory in every ward and precinct in Newton. Forge ahead.
Given that Scott Lennon is the only candidate on the ballot and given that the voting logs are public record, barring any write-ins, Alderman Lennon will now have a list of everyone who voted for him — and conversely everyone who did not!
It’s time for a reprise of my Scott Lennon campaign poster.
@Doug – I had a similar experience, I think I said, oh is that the other ballot, but it wasn’t offered until I indicated an interest.
@Hoss – my checkout pair checked to see I was holding both ballots.
@Greg – Unless people took Alderman ballots and turned them in blank to protest the lack of competition.
At 7:30 p.m. there were still several people at the Hyde Center. I’ve been voting there for years, but tonight was the first time I’ve gone there and not seen a single person holding a sign. While I waited, one of the election workers came over to let everyone in line know that there were 2 elections going on.
As usual, I’m glad that I won’t be getting any more phone calls from candidates. They should do some coordination to make sure they’re supporters aren’t calling the same numbers multiple times in one day. If I’d been undecided, getting 3 calls in two days and more in the previous week would have been enough to push me to vote for the other candidate!