Polling locations open to steady lines in county
By Staff Reports
Published in News on November 8, 2016 10:15 AM
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Voting Observer Willie Battle stands in the parking lot of Central Heights Church on Election Day morning. He and his fellow campaigners have seen smaller crowds than expected rounding out at about 50 voters thus far in the day.
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Voters and campaigners at the Wayne County public library on Election Day morning. The Wayne County Public Libary voting center had seen fewer than 50 voters as of 8:00 a. m.
Nearly one-half of Wayne County's 75,768 eligible voters had cast ballots before the polls opened at 6:30 this morning.
But that and the brisk weather did not keep short lines from forming at several polling locations even though several poll officials attributed an otherwise slower pace at some locations to the large early voting turnout.
The polls will close at 7:30 p.m. Voters in line by the time the polls close will still be allowed to vote.
Steve Lamb, chief judge for precinct 14 at New Hope Friends Church near Elroy, said the turnout had been slow.
"We opened at 6:30. We had an early rush of 23," he said shortly before 7 a.m. "But it's steady.
"Early voting took a lot off of today's vote. It helped tremendously."
The heated election climate makes it difficult to predict how the day will go, said Lamb, who has worked at the polls for more than a decade, including this year's early voting.
"We have not had any problems," he said.
Polling at the Greenleaf Christian Disciples Church on North William Street was moving along at a steady pace, possibly due in part to the heavy early voting turnout in Wayne County.
Head judge Vic Miller retired from the Marines in 2012, and immediately began working at polling places during that year's presidential election. He has been working at the polls this year since Oct. 20, and he said he was excited to see such good turnout this year.
"We're looking at a slow, but steady day, which is great because so many people came out and voted early," he said. "We had a lot of people come right at the end of early voting, and it's better late than never."
Miller said that his experience in the military gave him a unique perspective on the importance of the electoral process.
"I've witnessed, with the military, elections in other countries. I've seen the change from bad to good," he said. "It's given me an appreciation for the fact that we have the freedom to vote however we choose, and nobody should be looked down upon for who they choose to vote for. That is their right."
A line of 15 voters waited outside the precinct 5 polling site at Belfast Fire Station and by 7 a.m. 38 voters had cast ballots.
"We had an initial group of about 15 voters who were waiting when the polls opened," said Richard Horton, chief judge for precinct 5. "Since that initial rush was over we have had maybe one every other minute or so coming in so it has been steady, but light right now."
Horton, who also worked the poll in 2012, said the early turnout was shaping up to be about the same.
"But we are still early," he said. "There is a lot more of the voting day to be done. It is a 13-hour day for the polls to be open. We are going to see what happens. We had a good turnout for early voting I understand -- over 30,000.
"In this precinct we only have about 2,000 ballots (left) which means there are only 2,000 people eligible to vote in precinct 5. So that will be a busy day for us. We will see if they all turn out. I hope they do. If you are in line to vote when the polls close (at 7:30 p.m.), you will vote."
Nearly 20 voters were waiting in line at 6:30 a.m. at the Wayne County Public Library on East Ash Street, said Vickie Oman, chief judge.
Voting activity is expected to remain steady throughout the day, as the precinct still has 1,021 registered voters who didn't participate during the early voting period.
"We're going to be busy over here," Ms. Oman said. "We're always busy. We usually have a really high turnout over here because we have some dedicated voters."
Within the first 20 minutes this morning, 21 people had cast their ballots.
"We'll be steady all day long," Ms. Oman said.
Cold weather may have had a hand in the small turnout of voters this morning at First African Baptist Church on Harris Street.
Precinct 20 chief judge Janice Wooten said 14 voters arrived at 6 a.m., but she said frozen windshields may have caused the numbers to remain small.
"Slower than what we thought," she said of the 16 voters she saw before 7 a.m.
"I was hoping we were going to have a handful or more," she said.
Mrs. Wooten said the weather should warm up, and she said more people may vote later in the day.
"It's a little cold outside," she said. "We're slow, but steady."
Zaire Thomas, 21, voted for Barack Obama in her first election in 2012. She was at Greenleaf Christian Church bright and early to make sure she got her ballot cast.
"I didn't make it to early voting, so I'm here," she said. "I feel pretty good, but I'm nervous. I'm ready for it all to be over with."
Steve L. Herring of Grantham arrived at precinct 14, shortly before the doors opened this morning.
"There was about 15, 18 lined up at the door when I got here," said Herring, there to hand out sample ballots.
"I have seen lots of time it started off real early -- people coming in real fast in the early part of the day. Maybe it'll slack up about 10 o'clock and then it would pick up around lunch."
Herring said he planned to stay at the site until around lunchtime, then head to the precinct in Grantham to continue campaigning.