Happy Primary Day. As is Village 14 tradition, please use this thread to share your observations and thoughts on the Sept. 9 Democratic and Republican primaries.
And after you’ve voted come back here and tell us when and where you voted and how many voters cast ballot at your ward and precinct before you.
Photo by Julia Malakie
Well, I have not voted yet but will be working at 6-3 all day and look forward to seeing everyone who votes at the Hyde. I hope the turnout is better than predicted or it will be a very long day.
I’ll come over later in the day and say hi, @Groot.
At 7:46 am, 3/3: 29 in state election, 26 in Ward 3 alderman.
Lots of sign holders outside WNCSC. Sending you a picture, Greg.
One lone sign holder for Maura Healey this morning (about 7:30am) in 6/2. Voters trickling in before going to work.
8:55 AM at 3/3: State count was 61, ward 3 alderman (I’m happy to say) was only three behind at 58.
At 3/2 (Peirce school) at around 8am, the count was 47 state, 40 municipal. The poll workers were very good about alerting people to the local ballot. Not sure why people who are already voting wouldn’t grab the other ballot. There were a half dozen sign holders at the front entrance — more visible than the back entrance where I and many others go in.
61 at 4-4 and 69 at 4-1 at 9:00. A smattering of sign holders at Burr and Waban Library – neither place had a sign for each candidate. Very slow at both locations after 9:00. Forgot to check 5-3.
35 voters at 5/2 at 7:50 a.m.
110 voters at 5/2 at 10:10 a.m. (Vote early and often)
7:20 AM 2/1 – voter #8
And a photo of the Highlands own Abby Cohen graced the story at Bostonglobe.com:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/09/09/polls-now-open-massachusetts-primary-race-where-voters-will-narrow-race-for-governor/OB7Va8MBi9676HJfczA0aP/story.html
I must have gone in right after you, Mark – I was 63 (state) and 60 (ward) in 3/3. Nice groups of sign holders at NCSC and at Burr this morning.
I’ve seen some folks post their preferences on various blog and email lists and find that some long time political soul mates are voting almost exactly the opposite of how I plan to cast my ballot. I’ve seen some friendships ruined for years by disagreements over some local issue or by who backed who in some long forgotten race. I hope I never judge my friends by how they vote in any given election and I hope nobody will judge me for my preferences. If we do, we won’t have any friends left after a few election cycles.
The thing that really bothers me is how disengaged most voters are with this election. I’m losing patience with voters who won’t take even a few minutes to become the least bit informed and savvy. I’ll give a tip of the hat to anyone who holds a sign or knocks on a door for any candidate and that includes everyone from Josh Norman who’s gone to the wall for Mark Fisher and Julia Malakie for some thoughtful comments on the Ward 3 and Governor’s Council races.
Voted in 6/3 at 9:30 or so after holding a sign for Maura with my niece at Hamilton School and Grove St Rte 128 overpass. Lots of horns and waves.
@Bob: I understand what you are saying. I’ve never not voted and I hope I will always vote (still haven’t done so yet today though!). But I have to say, I feel less excited about this election than I can remember ever feeling previously. And I love politics. But I’m finding that I really don’t care that much who wins any of these state races. I think Steve Grossman would make a good governor but I don’t think he could beat Charlie Baker, and I doubt he can beat Martha Coakley. Lt. governor doesn’t matter because it’s a pointless position. There are two good candidates running for attorney general, one with prosecutorial experience. Treasurer? I don’t know. Not a very exciting race. I’m making my choice based on Ruth Balser’s endorsement. But I won’t care one way or another if any of my candidates win or lose. I’ve never felt that way before.
The one exception is: I’d like to see Charlie Shapiro dethrone Marilyn Devaney, but I don’t have a lot of emotion invested in that race either.
I’m looking forward to November when I’ll have some ballot questions to draw me in.
12:30 pm – Waban Library (new site for 5/3 and 5/4)
5/3 = 276; 5/4 = 272
Ward 5 / Precinct 1 at 11am – voter 79
Hi,
I was at Waban Library from 11:30 to 1:30 talking to folks about Waban Area Council and it was steady during that time.
Almost without exception,people commented on the pleasure they were taking from voting at our beautiful Waban Library.Kudos to all who worked over several years,to move voting from Zervas to the library,especially our Ward 5
Alderman John Rice.
Voted at Bigelow (1/3). Cast 171st ballot about 2:20 or so, but was immediately followed by a small bus from the Evans senior living center (which I recognized from when it almost ran me down in the crosswalk at Park and Vernon – so I guess they were excited to get to the polls).
i do agree that I have not felt the heat of a tense campaign this time around. Could be due to fewer local races? I would think that Governor would be a draw.
I beg to differ about the lieutenant governor. Cellucci became governor. Jane Swift became governor. Mike Dukakis’ lieutenant governor (O’Neill?) might have become governor.
Just came from 5-2 at Hyde. 275.
I was voter number 320 at Mason-Rice (6/4) at about 2:15, my husband and I among about a dozen voters coming and going during the few minutes we were there. Not crowded, certainly, but not deserted either. What surprised me was that there wasn’t a single sign to be seen at the polls. I’ve worked on campaigns in the past, and polling place visibility used to be a high priority, but lately it doesn’t seem to be at all. Maybe it lost its urgency when sign-holders got pushed back from the buildings several years ago. But there seems to be decreasing emphasis on written materials in general, from lawn signs to campaign buttons to mailings and leaflet drops and newspaper ads–all the old paraphernalia. Costly, I know, but so, I assume, are robocalls, which just don’t generate the same sense of communal involvement, maybe one reason–though certainly not the only one–for the growing disengagement.
@Gail-
Thanks for the kind words. I think we may be in good shape,but the work continues and an email from you to your friends and/or a tweet conveying your support of a dethrowning would be quite helpful!
Twitter is @charlie_shapiro and facebook is facebook.com/voteshapiro
My research shows that back in 1988, the Gov Council race was won by 1 (yes, one) vote.
http://www.votinginfo.info/2009/08/your-vote-makes-difference.html
(note: I will not forget to cast my vote today)
5/1 (the Emerson in Upper Falls) was up to 84 when we went up about an hour ago.
At 4:30 voting at the senior center, 2/3, there were 3 others. Don’t know what number I was.
No signs. Time of day?
Extra credit to the woman at the Hyde Center who was rewarded by participating in our democracy with a parking ticket. It wasn’t a handicap spot or a hydrant, just too close to the corner. May your candidate win by one vote tonight (provided he/she was my candidate too!)
Demerits to the traffic enforcement person/policy that called for ticketing people outside a polling place during an election.
I was number 248 at 8/3 (Countryside). No signs.
But I saw a lot of people holding Grossman signs at last night’s Red Sox game. 🙂
Jen K, that’s awful if you were 84 at 4:15pm at Ward 5/1, because I was 79 at 11:45am! However, my husband voted at 6pm, and reported he was 267. Sounds like a great burst tonight when folks come home from work.
At 5pm Ward 3/Pct 3- #320 for the State ballot and #301 for the local. Lots of sign holders obeying the rules on how close to the polling place they could be. However, the son of Don Berwick was way out of line. Very close to the door to the building, seeking votes for his dad. He was politely educated by the police officer assigned to the location and moved back into the safe zone.
@Greg, I respectfully disagree about the ticketing policy. If the car was parked too close to the corner/intersection, it created a potential serious hazard for cars trying to make the turn and people walking in the area. It would have been nice to try and locate the owner and have it moved. Maybe the parking control person tried, maybe they waited to see if the operator came back in a reasonable amount of time. We don’t know. I imagine the next time, the person will park legally. At least I hope so.
@TWT: I get your point and don’t disagree, except, there was no impediment to turning the corner or anything else in this particular case. And the person just shrugged and admitted she missed the no parking sign.
Oops, should have been 184. Thanks Jo-Louise.
6:30 pm – Waban Library (new site for 5/3 and 5/4)
5/3 = 585; 5/4 = 540
Gail – I’m shocked that you didn’t look into these races more carefully. We’re about to have a significant turnover at the state level so I saw this as a critically important election, probably the most important state election since 2006.
I’m not looking for excitement – I’m looking for competence and vision in a candidate. I sent out a list as well, as did many people (I’ve received them all!), but I certainly didn’t expect anyone to take my opinion as a “list”. In fact, I’d hoped that it would encourage people to look more closely at a very capable group of candidates, all of whom have worked very hard during this campaign despite an unconscionable lack of coverage by the Boston Globe. When the Herald does a better job of covering a Democratic Primary than the Globe, then that says something. I’m not talking about endorsements, the Globe simply didn’t cover this race adequately in its news section and many people have noted it.
5/2 @ Hyde @ 7:52 PM, voter #463, out of 1700+ registered, so that’s better than 25% turnout.
There were still several hard-core sign wavers out front. I just don’t get it – who is going to change their mind based on signs outside the polling place (I assume if you are there, you’ve basically decided already)?
I voted at the Hyde – 5-2 at around 4 PM. The workers were commenting that they were going to need more democrat ballots before the day was over.
It was pretty quiet, but enjoyed seeing the kids from HASP and the bake sale!
Proud to say I have voted in every election I could since I was 18! It is important to exercise the right to vote, and encouraged a few 20 somethings at work to vote. Always impress upon my kids that people have DIED trying to achieve the right to vote, and told my daughter that my grandmother didn’t always have the right to vote.
@Jane: Point taken. I did make one last-minute change based on a feedback from a friend I trust.
However, I never find that I learn much about candidates from their websites or literature. I suppose I relied too much on the Globe to inform and stimulate me this time, and as you said, the coverage just wasn’t that thorough. I should have been more proactive, but there was something about this election that just didn’t draw that out of me.
Unless voter turnout is surprisingly high, I suspect we’ll find out that I’m not alone. But it’s not just the number of voters I’m referring to, it’s the lack of enthusiasm.
John Rice deserves a shoutout for his work to move the election from Zervas to the Waban Library. The Library was a great place to vote: there’s a terrific vibe there. John spent a few years making this happen and the voters of 5/3, 5/4, and Zervas parents and kids should give him a round of applause.
Gail – I’m sure you’re not alone. However, at what point is being an informed voter not a civic responsibility? As for the Globe, it’s very sad to see how far it’s fallen.
I was holding a sign for Warren Tolman at Hyde from about 5:30-7:30 this evening. There were 4 (yes 4) women holding signs for Maura Healey. About 7, Maura showed up, greeted her supporters, and comes over and gives me a big and effusive hug after i waved and gave her a big smile. I had a feeling right then that Warren was in for a tough evening and the returns are certainly pointing in that direction. Congratulations to all the winners.
The driving issue in the Ward 3 race was clearly over development. All the candidates were concerned about it, but the one who made it the top issue from start to finish came out on top. What to do about it is now the driving question.