Great Expectations

Primary elections are a farce. Why bother? And how can the Republican party throw in the towel in such a critical Mayoral race and not come up with a real candidate other than Taubenberger? And when are Frank Rizzo and other big-talking pols going to stop talking and run for Mayor and shape this city up again?

Many have fought and died for our right to vote, and yet so few take the time to go to the polls. How can we be so apathetic that we won’t take just a few minutes to honor the memories of those who gave so much? I was voter number fifty at 10 AM this morning. Disgraceful. It also sickens me to hear that people don’t think the local elections are important. Local officials have far more control over our daily lives than national politicians do.

I enjoyed standing in line during the Bush vs. Gore election. Finally, we had an election that motivated the electorate. Perhaps people will see how important their vote is, and maybe this will be a turning point and they’ll come out to exercise their franchise. Unfortunately, such was not the case. My neighbors are just as apathetic as ever.

Went to the polling place at St. Francis Xavier school, 24th and Wallace, at about 11 a.m. Few people were voting, which I excepted and why I went at that time. I was about the 80th person voting as a Democrat at that time. Not too shabby. Anyway, there was no one outside handing out flyers and two persons inside who handed me nothing. There was a sign outside that said I should vote for Al Tautenberger because he's a "nice guy."

I was processed quickly and I voted, spending a good deal of time mulling over the court races and voter questions. It was an uneventful experience, which I'm sure is a big disappointment to the media in this town who like to bash the city every chance it gets.

Well, as a former Philadelphian now removed from the great city for over a decade (and the region for the past year), I am watching today's elections with interest. Nutter strikes me as an intereesting politician that blends Rendell and Green and Goode and Street, with potentially interesting possibilities. I'd love to see him to something dramatic, like appoint a thoughtful, progressive Republican to a cabinet position (Taubenberger, who has served in city government, would be an excellent choice, actually), so as to demonstrate across-the-board leadership, since the election results will clearly be in Nutter's favour tonight at 8:00:01pm.

I do think it was great how civil both Nutter and Taubenberger have been in this campaign, and I hope it bodes well for future elections.

Further, the elections in the surrounding counties -- Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware and Cehster -- will be interesting to see in the Rendellburbs continue to cement a SE PA progressive voting bloc (Rendell's strength) to impact statewide politics and future statewide elections.

I voted at about 11 a.m., and I was number 33. That was pitiful. There were no lines as there were during the primary, but I have to say there was a steady flow of people coming in. As noted in a previous comment, there were no campaign workers handing out literature outside the polling area. It was pretty low-energy.

Unfortunately, the poll workers were much more interested in the food that was just delivered than in getting me through the process of making my vote count. One worker was busy asking how he could "get himself some walking around money." I had to ask if the check-in process was complete and if I could choose either of the booths. It was fairly depressing. And we wonder why we have such low voter turnout!

I waited until late morning to go to the polls to avoid a line - although I didn't really think there would be much of a line at any point during this election. I got to Temple Beth Hillel/Beth El in Wynnewood a little after 10 - and found myself standing behind three people. Having voted in the city for six years, including the Bush/Gore vote, I know that three people shouldn't really be considered a line. But that's the longest I've ever had to wait in the burbs. Two of the people in front of me took kids into the booth as "voter assistants," and it was nice to see some civic education going on.
Usually I'm handed literature as I enter, but not today. I think the handout person was actually inside the polling place ... as I walked in I heard someone say, "there are actually people here; I should go back out." And there were a couple flyers for one of the school-board slates sitting on the registration table. I thought that was odd, but maybe they were left there accidentally by someone signing in.
The person running the voting booths said that this was a good showing for our polling places, with 98 pct. turnout compared to turnout in November 2003, which he said was the last comparable election.
As I left the booth, there were three more people in line, with even more kids running around, so I'm encouraged that people were taking part on a bit of an off year.

Voted this morning, around 10:30am, just walked around the corner to Elkins Park School. I was #75, the two machines were in use, pushed my wait to a whole 3mins (Oh The Horror). One Demo. paper hander-outer in between the inner and outer doors at the time, no Repub. representative. Poll workers were discussing the art scene in the area. Everything was great; other than the 'between class bell' giving me the Pavlovian "I'm Late" feeling.

What a sad irony it would be if people to forget to vote because they were too busy obsessing about the capture of the cop-killer; a 21-year-old, high school drop out with a kid, access to a gun and at least three prior arrests. I'm a little concerned that everyone is so focused on the John Lewis manhunt that they forgot what today is. Folks, they got him, rejoice and move on. This is where your opinions about gun control, the prison and education systems, rehabilitation for convicted felons, are supposed to really count. Go cast a vote for crying out loud.

Hopefully the nubers will increase as the evening progresses.

I was first in line at my polling Place in West Philly, it took an extra 15 minutes for the volunteers to get the voting machines working - properly - then the owner of the establishment that hosts the voting machines walked in on me while I was voting. I kind of wished I waited until later in the day.

We commented to one of the people outside the polling booth distributing political leaflets that the township web site was unable to provide the information on a local bond issue as promised.

Instead of volunteering to pass on the information, he gave the, typically politicians', response that, "It aint-a-my job."

They love to make promises; forget action and results.

I had the unfortunate experience this evening of throwing away my vote--my young daughter who came with me as a voting "assistant" bumped the green button by accident and we did not get to vote for anyone beyond the first few judge categories. I came away with the following thoughts: 1) it would be OK for the election workers to request that no children be allowed to enter the booth, 2) equip the machine with a physical lever like the old machines so it takes real effort to make the final vote count, 3) equip the machine with an "undo" function with a re-set that is only controlled by the voter. In the end however, it is my fault for not respecting enough the privilege of having a vote, which carries with it a great responsibility and should not be taken lightly. Lesson learned.

At the Allen Lane Train Station(7:30pm) there was a forty minute wait. We need more than just two voting booths.