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A fine day for an election
By adamg on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 7:38am
At-large candidate Tito Jackson lets a voter have cake at Holy Name School in West Roxbury this morning.
What are you seeing out there?
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Comments
Quincy Fire Chief Voted for Flaherty in Dorchester
Just heard a report of a Quincy Fire Chief voting in Dorchester for Flaherty. Apparently the fire fighter has moved from Boston to Quincy and is a Quincy resident. Flaherty and the fire fighters are starting their cheating ways early.
Yawn...
Yawn...
I am seeing...
unusually quiet (i.e., not active at all) polling places in politically active Brookline. Ditto the yawn.
Brookline
Brookline doesn't have an election today.
er, correct...
hence my "not active at all" comment.
Ah. I thought you were
Ah. I thought you were confused; sorry.
Other than the special election for senate, Brookline's next election is the Town Election in May 2010.
Yawn indeed
Slow at Cathedral HS. At 7:10 not many voters. Almost no one stumping - two people, appropriately across the street this time as well.
Thought there would be more fanfare, and definitely more people. Guess we'll see.
Brookside in JP had no one.
Brookside in JP had no one. Just me. Two city employees leaning on Menino signs half-asleep. One eager Flaherty lady who entreated you to vote for her candidate silently--with a kind of meaningful gaze.
Whit
Jamaica Plain
All quiet at the English High at 8:30. In and out in 3 minutes. Could be a bad sign for Floon.
It's not a sign of anything...
My polling place at the Condon School in Southie was quiet too at around 10, I was in and out in five minutes. But they said the morning was busy, and they expect the real rush to come at noon/lunchtime, after school (when parents stop to vote after picking up their kids) and after work. This past preliminary election was the most active in years, and this general election will mirror that trend. You could also argue that some Menino supporters think he is going to win anyway and are staying home -- and that could be a bad sign for the mayor if Flaherty gains some late-day momentum. The point is, again, that it's not a sign of anything...let's see what happens.
Polls had a decent flow of
Polls had a decent flow of people at my kids' school. Haven't voted yet, so I have no report on my polling station. One thing I did notice at the Roslindale Village train station was an unofficial Menino flier (nothing on it identified the campaign as the source) making all sorts of allegations about Flaherty and cronyism.
I have no idea whether that's standard and therefore not significant, or whether it means that Menino is in trouble and having to resort to dirty tricks. The flier struck me as definitely within the dirty trick category, since everything was unsubstantiated and basically asking if the reader had ever noticed (insert corrupt governance allegation) then followed with a line suggesting, but without evidence, that Flaherty was behind the problem.
You're quick to accuse
You're quick to accuse without evidence.
Um I read the flyer.
Um I read the flyer. Somebody put it up, somebody who wants Menino to win, somebody with less than sound ethics. What exactly is the missing evidence? And by the way, I'm a Menino supporter, so don't get snippy with me, but it was an off putting flier. If Menino is not behind it, he should find out who is, and put a stop to it.
snip, snip, snip
Do you believe everything you read? Maybe a Flaherty or Yoon supporter put it up to make Menino supporters look bad. It's not rocket science.
Reminds me of the woman who said Obama supporters beat her up at a polling place for wanting to vote McCain/Palin. It soon came out that she had fabricated the whole thing.
not from the camp
Not sure in roslindale, but I've been working on the campaign in JP and we definitely only have lit printed at campaign headquarters to hand out...I also saw a similar thing via email yesterday from Flaherty supporters -- i'm more inclined to think it's an individual's endeavor, rather than something sanctioned.
Who are the candidates you folks out there think will win?...
Who are the municipal candidates you folks out there think will win?... in today's voting around the metropolitan area's cities and towns.
I was seeing...
...a lot of road construction in front of my polling place. I was so focused on it, that I completely forgot today was election day. Hehe...d'oh!
I'm going to have to swing by on my way home.
Ok, voted
It was dead quiet on Washington St in Brighton around 5:30 pm. Now I'm at the Selectmen meeting in Brookline supporting Zipcar.
Holy Name in West Roxbury was, of course, the place to be
I got there relatively late (8:50 or so), but even still, there was a large gaggle of pols and supporters - Tito Jackson (handing out pound cake in Baggies to voters), Ayanna Pressley and Doug Bennett, even Steve Pagliuca and local handler Matt O'Malley.
O'Malley, at least, knew enough to keep his man away from the stairs leading into the precinct - especially since he knows how much I like taking his photo in violation of the 150-foot rule. But the others, along with a couple of earnest Kenneally backers, stationed themselves right at the stairs, making their last-minute pitches for votes and, in Jackson's case, for delicious pound cake.
Pressley (r.) asks for a vote; Jackson (l.) tries to give the guy some cake, right at the entrance to the polling station:
Candidates take advantage of the way Holy Name sits on a hill above the Centre Street/West Roxbury Parkway rotary:
Bennett successfully palms off one of his cards:
JP, Egleston Square
Husband and I were the only voters at around 8:10 this morning. Crazy Chuck Turner supporter was the only person who really accosted us and got kinda snippy when I said I was voting for Henriquez.
77 votes cast as of 8:05 a.m. at Adams Street Library in Dot
I have no idea whether that's good, bad or whatever...
Ahead of preliminary turnout
I was at the Franklin Institute from 7 - 11 AM. Slow, steady turnout, it seemed quiet, but then someone said that the turnout was better than the primary - 280 people by 9 AM, 80 ahead of in September.
Interesting turn of events - there were MULTIPLE "ticket" cards being handed out to Chinese voters, not the traditional single one with the "chosen" candidates, as was the case in the past.
Are things getting shaken up in the 'hood?
A fair number of wackos turned out, too. One woman called me "Mr Mayor" and when I said, no (not yet) responded, "Oh, right, you're the other candidate." "No." "Oh, you dropped out?"
Predicting a Menino win
Jay Fitzgerald predicts: Menino 57, Flaherty 43.
No free cake
Guess I'm on the wrong side of town - no free cake and only 2 lonely Flaherty workers at the Beethoven in W. Roxbury. It was very quiet around 12:30, only one other voter there.
They did have cake at their cake sale though.
Right across the street from Holy Name
It was incredibly quiet at the police station - just a few signs on a stick and no candidates.
Menino is sweating...Michael
Menino is sweating...Michael Flaherty will win! You will be surprised how close this election will be. A Flaherty Yoon adminstration is necessary to bring the residents of Boston back into City Hall. Lets put the ribbon cuttings and breakfasts aside and do some real work.
JP is conflicted or confused or both
Chris Faraone files a report from the front lines, including the fact that Floon is concentrating on Jamaica Plain, because it seems like that's where most of the city's undecided voters live. He adds:
Reporters
The Globe had some coverage. They talked to all of two people in the South End that voted for Menino, and declared the SE doesn't want change. ugh.
Trouble in Dorchester
The Herald reports
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?...
Bernstein: Comes down to the black wards
David Bernstein analyzes the turnout as of 4 p.m.
I agree with Bernstein
I'll go with Bernstein's 54/46 for Menino - the only way Flaherty wins is if there is a larger than normal turnout - meaning a lot of non-traditional or "New Boston"/generally younger voters that don't work for the city - and so far that doesn't sound like it's happening unless the after work rush storms the polls. (My wife and I are actually in that camp - we found our polling place tends to be very crowded pre-work and we typically can waltz through after work - so now we vote late)
Predictions:
Menino, Murphy, Connolly, Pressley, Arroyo and all the incumbent district councilors - really went out on a limb with those didn't I (and for anyone keeping score - I am voting for 3 or 4 of the above)!
PS
Voted at the BPL - steady but not packed.
Lots of Menino supporters out front - heard there was nobody until about 5:30 pm - but he was scheduled to make an appearance so a lot of advance sign holders showed up (including a past chair of the local dem ward committee). Mike Ross was also there stumping.
Voted today in Oak Square,
Voted today in Oak Square, it was around 11 and pretty quiet. One thing that I do not like is that there are now new election workers for my precinct, and they do not speak English well. If there is a need for translators, fine, but the people checking you off your name ought to be able to understand your name and street without repeating it multiple times.
The case of the booted poll worker
The Dorchester Reporter gets some details on the allegedly pro-Flaherty poll worker supposedly telling Vietnamese residents to vote for his man.
Still calling!
I just got another call from the Flaherty campaign - at 7:45. Yikes, I guess you have to give them credit for trying.
It was a real person, so I told him it was a little late, but he said the polls don't close 'till 8, so I guess they're hoping to find people who will jump up & run to the polls after their call.
Let the counting begin
http://www.cityofboston.gov/elections/currentelect...
Tito at Holy Name
Tito's Mom makes a great sweet bread. He passed out slices secured in baggies as we entered the polling place. Nice touch. Nice, sincere man.