As is a Village 14 tradition, share your election day observations here. Tell us what it was like at your polling station and how many people voted at your precinct/ward when you cast your vote.
As is a Village 14 tradition, share your election day observations here. Tell us what it was like at your polling station and how many people voted at your precinct/ward when you cast your vote.
I was voter 42 at 7:25 a.m. at 5/2.
Today I witnessed two people giving the poll workers a hard time.
#1 – guy in a suit and nice jacket is refusing to move out of the check in line when his name isn’t on the roster. He is insiting (loudly) that he votes here every time. . . . . and refused to let the rest of us go around him. He was so rude. The warden looked up his address and said that his voting location was Emerson and not Hyde. No thank you, no I am sorry . . . just left in a huff.
#2 Woman in front of me is not on the list. . . . she also refuses to get out of line to speak to the warden . . . . she didn’t return her census. She was cool, but aggitated.
It isn’t the worker’s fault! I felt terrible. I was in the 7 AM rush at 5-2, and that was not how any of these people (voters or poll workers) wanted to start the day.
I dropped my kids off this morning at one of our newton elementary schools, and noticed a uncomfortable and nervous teenage boy going into the school alone with a backpack on. I mentioned it to the faculty at the door, and they shrugged it off, saying he had to be someone with their mom coming in to vote…I’m not the paranoid type, but given the school shootings happening nationwide and the whole terrorism slant, I think we ought to reconsider opening up our elementary schools to anyone off the street WHILE OUR KIDS ARE INSIDE?
1/3, Bigelow School
I was 91st ballot on my side (7/2 also votes here) at about 7:45 am.
Small number of sign carriers, but as I approach the school from Park/Vernon side I don’t have to run the gauntlet.
Small nit- one car belonging to a sign-carrier was illegally parked at corner of Park and Vernon- I know that’s a bit of a bugaboo for the neighbors, especially with the new traffic calming measures, so worth noting only for that.
Other than that, no signs of civil unrest as in 5/2 ;).
Poll seemed much busier than normal if not exactly crushed, belying a “polls are quiet” report I heard on WBUR, which I believed was based on one polling station in Cambridge.
Also of note- I appreciate the discussion of the ballot questions and candidates here- I felt I went in much more informed than I otherwise might have, whether I agreed with the postings here or not.
Should have added that I was surprised by the scarcity of sign holders outside the Hyde, normally a very busy location. In fact, when I voted only John Rice was outside holding signs.
Very busy at Burr School. There seemed to be a lot of Evan Falchuk support (his home precinct), and a ton of Falchuk sign holders. Forgot to check the numbers though.
As a former elementary school teacher, I agree with NewtonDad. Polling places should not be in schools. Voters who aren’t familiar with the school buildings will often wander (without any ill intent) to the classroom section of the building trying to find the polling place. It’s unnerving for teachers to see people without visitor badges on in the hallway. I was happy to see the Zervas polling place moved to the Waban Library.
@Jane: You should go back to Burr and vote again — but this time get the number!
Was at the Waban Library Center at 7am to hand out Waban Area Council literature as voters left the polls. At 7am, there was a line from the Waban Library Center to the sidewalk. I brought 100 of our information brochures for the day…By 8am I had handed them all out. Am finishing folding another 200 and will head back up to the Library. Will vote later so that I can get a feel for number of voters, but if 7-8am is any indication, there are a lot of people coming out…and no noticeable sign holders!
Maybe there are fewer sign holders because they are all out voting? OK, that might be silly, but it’s curious that a number of us aren’t seeing them out in force
I grew up in NYC and the polling places were in schools. The difference is that we had Election Day off from school, so the problems Jane mentions weren’t an issue. As a bonus, it means I have vivid memories of going with my mother to vote.
#304 @9:44 @Hyde 6/3
Some municipalities have closed schools today. It must go town by town
Agree that the signs have been very on and off. I was voter #51 at 5-2 at about 7:45am and only John Rice was holding signs. It’s worth noting by the way, that the same John Rice is largely responsible for moving the Zervas polling place to the Waban Library!
Former Weeks elementary (6/2) at 7:30am. I didn’t get my number. No shortage of voters but also no line, and zero sign holders outside.
A single League of Women Voters volunteer was collecting signatures to petition for a Newton charter review board (to reduce the size of the BoA).
Today I’m envying friends who live in states with early voting. Home sick with a cold, really don’t want to leave the house, will do so to vote but bleh!
Missing the year when I was married to someone of opposing political views so that when I was sick on election day, I just asked him if he’d stay home because our votes were going to cancel each others’ out anyway. :)
Steady stream at Waban Library…Well over 1000 voters by now (noon). I was voter #350 something at 10:30AM (that number was the count for only one of the two Ward 5 precincts voting there. Noticeable lack of sign holders…Saw an Evan Falchuk advert on a parked car and later one Falchuk sign and sign holder! Going back later to hand out Waban Area Council brochures. Will report.
#445 at 12:29 at 3/3. Seemed busy for midday. As I was checking out, one other person checking out and 11 voting. Only one signholder, for Healey & Goldberg.
And Coakley. Three-fer.
# 393 at noon at 5/1
Amazed how quiet it is all over town, and no sign holders out in force.
Lack of sign holders city wide = strong GOTV effort
While I’m among those surprised by the lack of signs, perhaps that’s because they’re so superfluous, especially for something like the governor race. Would someone change their vote from Baker to Coakley or vice versa because someone was holding a sign outside?
Would someone EVER change their vote because someone was holding a sign outside the polling place? I think sign holders show that the candidate has a stable of workers who are enthusiastic enough to stand out in the cold to hype that candidate! That speaks to the candidate’s organizational skills, engaging personality and, possibly, substance! Or a well-oiled political machine.
#425 at 2-2, at around 1:45.
I was only holding a sign at a time of day when you can’t make calls (7-9) shift. About to join the GOTV effort.
I was voter #523 T 2:30pm at Bowen School. I wonder how many voters are registered to vote here. Or even mor interesting, how many people eligible to vote here.
I was number 583 at Ward 3/Precinct 3 at 2:45 this afternoon. Not one single sign holder to be seen in the area. I was kinda surprised at this since there are usually quite a few.
#743 at Senior Center 2/3
At 3:00. It was bustling. Lots of voters behind me. No one with signs, not that I’m sure they matter.
If you are like me, you post here later and *might* have trouble remembering your ward and precinct. This map comes in handy; feel free to pretend you didn’t need it, I’ll understand.
http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/29713
Or use this handy precinct locator on the city website. It will also tell you what school your kids go to in case you forgot where you left them this morning.
^^Now that’s information overload…
Thanks Ted. Big help!
I can finally go pick her up now.
I voted #610 at 6/4 (Mason Rice) a little after noon, then raced back out to continue my sign-holding. I can’t speak for other localities or other candidates, but visibility at the Newton polls for Coakley et al. was planned only for the busiest voting times (early morning, noontime, and evening rush), and I see from the schedule that several polling places weren’t even covered for all three of those, let alone for slower times of day. Sign-holding till recently was an Election Day staple, a chance for neighbors on their way to vote to stop and chat, see who from the PTA or the local parish was supporting whom, and to get some reinforcement of decisions already made or maybe some information on a down-ballot race or a referendum question they might otherwise have left blank. There was always something, I thought, rather festive about it. But paper and wood and printing are expensive, fewer people are around on a weekday to volunteer, and the time and labor needed to make the signs and then stand out holding them are better directed, campaigns seem to feel, to electronic GOTV efforts. Can’t argue with progress, I guess. But I really do miss the masses of signs outside the polling places, the party (in the nonpartisan sense) atmosphere, the sense that voting wasn’t just another chore you might do or might blow off but actually a communal event and something pretty special.
At 4:20, I was #604 at 5/1. It was busier during the couple of minutes I was in there than I am used to seeing at the Emerson for voting!
#848 at 8/3 (Countryside) at a little before 5 p.m. No signs but more voter activity than I can remember seeing in awhile.
Does high turnout favor Coakley?
I was #663 at 5pm at Emerson 5/1. Just a couple of abandoned signs outside.
My wife was #671 at 1/3 (Bigelow, Newton Corner), sometime around 5pm
I’m curious as to why I have NEVER been asked for Identification in the past 7 years that I have been voting in Newton.
Signs and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives at 5-3/5-4 (Waban) at 6:45 pm
This reminded me that I was asked to sign papers the other day for a charter commission. (I’d already signed.) It’s been so long since I’ve seen or heard anything that I thought the effort had fizzled out. I’m glad someone’s still thinking about reviewing the charter.
Newton Voter — because, thankfully, we don’t have a Voter Identification law in Massachusetts.
6/2 #1134!
I voted at Waban Library at around 7. Did anyone else notices how the grounds of the Library had a strange smell and inside the library was so smelly?
I would like to add to the calls to either move the polling places out of the schools or close schools on Election Day. In addition to the obvious issues with building security, the traffic safety issues are huge, especially at the elementary schools. Voters arrive in large numbers at the absolute worst times – morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up (12:30 on Tuesdays in Newton.) They park wherever, with no regard to any posted restrictions – No Parking areas, Blue Zones, fire hydrants – as long as it’s right in front of the school. Then some parents figure that they can take advantage of the situation, join in the parking free-for-all, and cross their kids (or send them alone!) across the street anywhere but the crosswalk. Honestly, we’re lucky that no one has been hit. Yet.
I worked the day signing voters in for 6-3 at the Hyde and did not hear the problems stated early in the thread at 5-2 (across the room for us). We had a turn out of 63% for the nearly 2000 voters in the precinct with lines a few times during the day but I cannot recall any disgruntled voters, even the ones that were told they were not registered. We had several first time voters, both kids coming of age and new US citizens. And lots of kids helping their parents placing the ballot into the machine. I rather enjoyed my 15 hour day meeting new and known neighbors.
On signs – Gloria is right! Our folks were calling and canvassing all day.