Long lines, little doubt on Election Day

by MICHAEL J. MISHAK

With the presidential race in a virtual dead heat, Northwest voters hit the polls in droves Tuesday morning, casting ballots in the hopes of swinging Pennsylvania's 21 prized electoral votes to either President George W. Bush or Democratic challenger John Kerry.

Election officials and committeepeople met long lines as early as 6:30 a.m. in voting divisions throughout the 9th and 22nd wards. The Local went to press Tuesday before election results were available.

In the final push to Election Day, voters were hard-pressed to escape partisan rhetoric. As phone lines and airwaves were jammed with political ads, campaign volunteers canvassed the Northwest's neighborhoods last weekend. Some targeted motorists with signs at busy intersections while others fought for votes door-to-door.

On Tuesday, the 9th Division at Fire Engine Company No. 37 on West Highland Avenue saw nearly 17 percent turnout of registered voters by 8:30 a.m., said Walter Sullivan, Democratic committeeman. As the morning rush slowed, voters at the fire company still faced a 40-minute wait as they read newspapers and talked politics. Normally fitted with two voting machines, the division successfully lobbied for a third this year, cutting down on the wait, Sullivan said.

"There's more intensity this year," Sullivan, a Democrat, said of the morning's voters. "Many people wanted to do this 90 days ago. They were ready."

Out-of-state volunteers with independent groups and political action committees like MoveOn were stationed throughout the 9th Ward, checking exiting voters against their canvassing lists. Those who registered with MoveOn's get-out-the-vote team in the days before the election, but failed to check in on Nov. 2, could expect callbacks and return visits.

Iris Arno and Franc Laux, both MoveOn volunteers from New York state, sought to ensure voting from the 100 local citizens they met through their door-to-door efforts. Laux, 63, said he had never been involved in any political activity before. "This is the highest level of interest in any political campaign I've ever seen," he said.     

Many Chestnut Hill voters were mum on their choice for commander-in-chief, but anonymously cited a range of deciding issues, from the Iraq war to national security to the national deficit.

Others were far from tight-lipped. "I think George Bush is scum," said Ted Forrence, of Chestnut Hill, who volunteered his morning and afternoon to drive voters to the polls. "Bush waged a war under false pretenses that he still refuses to acknowledge," he said.

Ken Powell, 9th Ward Republican leader, commented on the mean-spirited tone of some volunteers he encountered. "It just won't stop," Powell said of the negative rhetoric. "I am a Republican. I guess I don't look like they would expect a Democrat to look, but that doesn't mean I have views that aren't humanitarian."

Powell called 9th Ward voter-turnout "astounding," noting that as of 1:30 p.m. every voting division had reported more than 50 percent turnout. The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Mt. Airy had seen nearly 500 voters as of Tuesday afternoon, he said.

"I've never seen lines as long as I did at 7 a.m.," said Powell, who has been involved in city politics for more than 30 years.

At the Water Tower Recreation Center, officials recorded about 24 percent turnout at 9 a.m. Kevin Raphael and Jane Pieczh, Democratic committeepersons for the 5th Division, said turnout among active registered voters was likely much higher since many listed on the official rolls traditionally move without notification.

In the 2000 presidential election, the 5th Division at the Water Tower saw an 80 percent turnout, Raphael said. This year, he expects that figure to improve by at least 5 percent.

Morning turnout was also lauded in the 9th Ward's 16th Division at Chestnut Hill Village's Summit building. Curnel Bridges, Democratic committeeman, said he arrived to a line of about 25 people before the polls opened at 7 a.m. He described turnout as "unusually high" for his division. As Bridges distributed sample ballots to voters on Crittenden Street, he said, "There's little indecision this year. People here know exactly who they're voting for."

The division, which claims a high percentage of black voters, experienced few problems and had little need for provisional ballots, Bridges said. The division also had a designated table for new voters.

Republican representatives were largely absent at several polling locations, including the 16th Division. "I think the Republicans have given up on this division," Bridges said.

Besides signs for incumbent U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, visual support for the Republican ticket was rare at the polling locations visited by the Local on Tuesday morning.

Bolstered by a Washington Redskins loss on Sunday, which many say has signaled the ouster of every incumbent president since 1933, Bridges is banking on a Kerry win. If Bush is reelected, he said, the second of two enduring curses would be broken. The Boston Red Sox set the tone last week when they broke an 86-year losing streak by winning the World Series.

In Mt. Airy, polling places along Germantown Avenue reported heavy morning turnout followed by a mid-morning lull. At the Lutheran Theological Seminary, lines began as early as 6:30 a.m. and people waited up to 45 minutes to vote.

On Germantown Avenue near Slocum Street, three large white vans marked with Kerry/Edwards paraphernalia loaded up Mt. Airy neighbors to get out the vote.

At. St. Michael's Church, where three different divisions vote, lines from the sign-in tables to the church doors remained steady through the morning. Voters waited, patiently chatting, until it was their turn to vote.

For Kerry supporters, Mt. Airy emerged as a base of operations five months ago, when a grassroots coalition of Democratic ward leaders and elected officials opened the Northwest for Kerry office on Germantown Avenue. Aggressive voter registration drives throughout the area contributed to the influx of new voters since the April primary. By Election Day's end, Northwest for Kerry volunteers expect to have contacted more than 50,000 voters.

Denise Maher contributed to this report.