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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Election Day Open Thread


[Editor's note: Here's a little snapshot from election day at a couple of poll sites in Norwood that we attached to the open thread we started earlier in the day. Reporting by Molly Ryan and Megan Taylor. The above photo is by Molly Ryan.]

Norwood Polls are Slow and Steady, But Who Will Win the Race?

On this sunny election day, in the Norwood section of the Bronx, voters are steadily trickling into polling sites.

Although neither Bloomberg, Thompson nor any other mayoral candidate coerced campaign workers to campaign in this area of the Bronx today, Norwood residents are still making their way to the polls--most with strong opinions on who should win the election.

"This is more fluid," said Sara Pierce, the poll coordinator at the St. Brendan School on 207th Street, in terms of the number of voters. "The [Democratic] primary [in September] was slow."

Sandra Robins, the poll coordinator at P.S. 94 on Kingsbridge College Place, said her poll site was considerably slower than last year during the presidential election. "It all depends on who is running," said Robins. "If they don't like who is running, they stay away from the polls."

Bill Friedheim did not appear to like the mayoral candidates, but he still came out to vote. "I'll vote for Thompson--not enthusiastically, but I'll do it," he said. "It is obscene how much the mayor spent on his campaign and overturning term limits."

Another Norwood voter, Tom Karas, said, "Bloomberg did some good things, but some bad things too. I don't think he deserves a third term."

Despite these residents' views on Bloomberg, many other Norwood residents support the current mayor in his reelection campaign.

"I feel that I should vote for the guy who is doing good," said Margaret Matos, who brought her young granddaughter, Asia Harris, to watch her vote at the polls. Matos did not mind that Bloomberg overturned term limits. "He has a lot of money, he doesn't need to be doing it," she said. "He keeps doing a good job."

Some residents voted for Bloomberg simply because they were unfamiliar with other mayoral candidates.

"I really don't know much about the other candidate, " said Louise Carrington, who cast her vote for Bloomberg.

According to Marist poll released on October 30, Bloomberg has a slight lead over Thompson in the Bronx.

Maria Almo, a grandmother who was manning the voting booths at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, said that while the polls had been busiest in the morning, with people lining up before 6 a.m., she had seen a steady stream of voters all day.

"I've been kept very busy," she said. "But most people seem to know their districts and where they need to go. If they didn't, I would have a long line today."

***

Who are you voting for today? Why?
What are you seeing at the polls? Any problems?
Comment away.

2 comments:

  1. I voted at 9 am at PS 80(ED 10. I was # 21. The place was quiet, but there were people leaving when I got there, and comming when I left. A steady trickle, I guess

    Sally

    ReplyDelete
  2. I voted this morning at 9am at a community center near my apartment. The place was also empty but the election workers were nice. As a registered Democrat, i voted for Bloomberg. I feel he has the best tools/ideas to support the city during these tough times. I feel he has done a lot of changes in the city during his tenure. I consider Thompson knowledgeable but he never really stated any economic policies he would institute instead he spend his time chastising the mayor,etc.

    ReplyDelete

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