Voter surge swamps polling places
(George Rizer/Globe Staff)
A line of voters stretched for a hundred yards up Exeter Street outside the Boston Public Library in the Back Bay.
By Andrew Ryan, Donovan Slack, and Maria Cramer, Globe Staff
Waves of eager voters swamped polling places across Massachusetts today as officials grapple with a surge in turnout expected to top three million voters in a landmark presidential election.
With radiant sunshine pushing temperatures to the mid-60s during the day, block-long lines snaked around corners in Davis Square in Somerville, Boston's South End, Pittsfield, and Lawrence, where an election clerk called it a "madhouse." Shorter lines were reported, but business remained brisk during the evening hours.
By 3 p.m., 200,040 people had cast ballots in Boston, about 13,000 more than had voted by that time in the presidential election of 2004. Turnout was highest in Ward 19, Jamaica Plain, where 62.88 percent of registered voters had already been to the polls. The largest number of voters came from Ward 18, which includes Mattapan and Hyde Park, where 20,523 have already cast ballots.
Election clerks also reported "extremely high" turnout in Worcester, Wellesley, Newton, Georgetown, Salem, and other cities and towns.
"This is a historic event no matter how you vote," said Annette Grant, 42, a "Hillary girl" who cast her ballot for Democratic Senator Barack Obama in Roxbury. "You have the chance to pick the first woman for vice president or a biracial candidate for president."
Those historic overtones seemed to be driving early turnout, especially in African-American neighborhoods where voters snapped photographs of each other as they braved long lines. In Davis Square, a line of voters filed past a day-care center where a group of mostly black toddlers waved as they marveled at the crowd.
"Who's going to be the next president?" the toddlers' caretaker asked the children. "You all can be."
A little boy called out, "Happy vote!" again and again.
"This is history, you've got to vote,'' said Jackie Lewis, 45, an Obama supporter who cast a ballot in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood. "This is a moment I'll never have again in my lifetime. Maybe in my son's lifetime, but not in mine."
The exuberance of voters made it almost easy to forget that this was Massachusetts, one of the most reliably Democratic states in the country. Neither major-party candidate spent any significant time campaigning here because the Bay State has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984, when it went for President Ronald Reagan over former Vice President Walter Mondale.
The most recent poll on Oct. 27-28 gave Obama a 17-percentage point lead over Republican Senator John McCain in a survey of 658 likely Massachusetts voters by Survey USA.
“We’re not a swing state, but people still want to get their voices heard,” said Erin Knepler, 28, as she waited to vote at the James M. Curley School in Jamaica Plain.
A long line of cars wound past the school and drivers stared at the waiting voters. School children chanted from above, “Obama, Obama.” The one young maverick among them wailed, “McCain.”
In Natick, Paul Carew was another of those maverick McCain supporters in Massachusetts. He stood outside the public library holding a placard for Republican state Senator Scott Brown in a blue sea of signs for Obama and Kerry.
"I feel grossly outnumbered," said Carew, 56, a former Marine who served in Vietnam. "Obama hasn't got the experience in my opinion. We need someone with real strong experience."
In North Andover, stay-at-home mom Kim Gilboard, 37, went with McCain because of his foreign policy experience.
"I agree with all his views and Sarah Palin's," Gilboard said. "I feel he's the only one that can really back what he says."
That sentiment was not shared outside the Elihu Greenwood Elementary School in Hyde Park, where school children peering out bus windows screamed, "Obama! Obama! Obama!"
“It’s all very exciting," said Jack Cheng, "I teach adult ed in Dorchester and I get choked up talking about” the election because it shows that a “non-white kid” can become president. “For my kids, it represents a huge opportunity.”
In Dorchester at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, a steady stream of voters trickled in this evening, with some dressed in ties and others in their construction boots.
Election workers said this year's turnout was the largest they could remember.
"This is light," said election volunteer Michael Kozu, 53, of Roslindale, pointing to a line of about 30 people outside the school at about 6 p.m. "We have lines around the building all this morning."
Kozu said this is the largest turnout he has seen in a long time with a particular increase in the number of young voters. "I've been hear five years and this is the heaviest I've ever seen," he said.
One young voter, Estella Stephens, 18, a senior at English High School, said she was voting for Barack Obama because of his health insurance plan.
"It's not because he's black," she said, to the laughter of a few surrounding voters.
Stephens, who was reading Obama's "Dream's for my Father," for her English class says the campaign has focused too much on race.
"They're only focusing on Obama being black. He's half white. If he looks white like Jennifer Lopez, there wouldn't be these kinds of problems."
At the Benjamin Franklin Institute on Berkeley Street in the South End, turnout was high all day. Poll workers told those waiting in the line, which stretched down Berkeley Street onto Tremont Street, that it had been between one and two hours long earlier today. Voters were waiting about 35 minutes to cast their ballots at 6 p.m.
Linda Barr, a 45-year-old resident of Castle Square, said she had come to vote earlier in the day, but long lines made her choose a different time.
"I left and then said 'Oh, I'll come back in a while' and it still wasn't so good," Barr said. "But I just said 'I'll stay this time.'"
Near the front of the line was 62-year-old South End resident Priscilla Sneider. She said she saw one woman who mistakenly waited in line, unaware she was supposed to vote at a different location.
"She wasn't even upset, even though she had just waited 35 minutes," Sneider said.
For 24-year-old Stacey Solomon, today was her first time voting in Boston. She recently moved to Bay Village from Melbourne, Fla.
"It's my first big-city election. I think I only waited about five minutes at home when I voted last time," Solomon said. "I was expecting to wait a while, I didn't think it would be this long, but you gotta do what you gotta do."
Secretary of State William F. Galvin said that 4,220,488 people registered by the Oct. 15 deadline to vote in today's election. That is an increase of 3 percent from the last presidential contest in 2004, when 4,098,634 people registered in Massachusetts.
Democrat John F. Kerry is also on the ballot today, running for his fifth term in the US Senate against Republican Jeff Beatty, an Army veteran and former CIA agent who lives on Cape Cod. It is an uphill battle for Beatty, who was trailing Kerry by 24-percentage points in the Survey USA poll.
All 10 Massachusetts representatives in the US House are also up for reelection, though none faces a significant challenge.
On the state level, one of the most watched races culminated last week, when Senator Dianne Wilkerson ended her write-in campaign in the face of federal bribery charges. Wilkerson was defeated in the Democratic primary by Sonia Chang-Diaz, a former school teacher from Jamaica Plain. At a polling place at Orchard Gardens Community Center, a paper flier that had been taped over Chang-Diaz signs asked: "What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" It urged voters to "write in Dianne Wilkerson."
Massachusetts voters today will also decide ballot questions that propose to abolish the state income tax, decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana, and ban dog racing. Polls close tonight at 8 p.m.
The main draw across the state, however, was the top of the ticket.
Democracy was also at work at Plymouth Community Intermediate School, where Jack Haley strode confidently up to the ballot box and with a clear sense of purpose registered his election choices. A common enough sight, unless you consider that Haley, 11, is a sixth-grader.
His vote was tallied for Kids Voting USA, a national nonprofit organization that gets students involved in the nuts and bolts of democracy. In a recent class, Jack's social studies teacher went over how to vote, and handed out ballots for the pupils to study. Any student under 18 could vote. (The results, broken down school by school, as well as a town-wide kids' vote, were expected to be ready Wednesday).
"Some of these kids are so prepared," marveled Alice Heckman, a volunteer for Kids Voting, who took down children's registration information, handed out ballots to children who didn't have them, and explained how to vote. Sometimes she had to explain a bit more to wide-eyed children like Patrick Keep, 3, and his brother Jamie, 6.
"This is what you call a ballot," she told them. "Once you vote, it's your secret."
"I love this job," she said.
Kids who vote in Plymouth get a sticker that declares "I voted!" Students at Plymouth Carver Intermediate School who vote also will get a bonus A+ to go in their gradebooks.
David Filipov, Eric Moskowitz, Linda Bliss, Katheleen Conti, Shirley Leung, Kathleen Burge, Maria Sacchetti, Meghan Irons, Matt Carroll, Marcia Dick, and Erica Noonan of the Globe staff and correspondents Anne Baker, Jillian Jorgensen, Jeannie M. Nuss, and Casey D Ramsdell contributed to this report.
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What a shock that Barack Obama and John Kerry are leading in the polls in Massachusetts....
Make the right decision today all.
I got in line at 645am and it was already 3 sides of a block long - Opting to leave work early and work from home
Don't let the length of the lines deter you. I arrived at the polling place at 6:20 this morning and only a handful of voters were in front of me. By 7:00, there were at least 200 in line. The ballot is not lengthy. Voting is fast and the line moves pretty quickly. Don't give up when you see how many people are waiting to vote. People camp outside Fenway overnight for opening day tickets; surely a 20-30 minute wait in line (in beautiful fall weather) can't be enough to sacrifice your right to vote.
I wish I was back in MA where I was born and spent the first 25 years of my life. I like living in PA, but election time is just overwhelming here since it is always a 'battleground state'. Thank god for DVR's because if I couldn't fast forward over all the campaign commercials, I wouldn't watch TV for six months.
Go J-Mac
I wish I live in a state where my vote mattered. Enjoy PA, you don't know how lucky you are.
I am intrigued by 01602voter's proclamation that her vote is or should be somehow more important than those of people who are new voters. Voting is a right and a privilege that these folks are finally moved to take advantage of. The more people do vote, the more clearly the voice (or voices) of the people is heard.
The first time voters I know (only a few) are among the best informed, most well-read as well. More power to them...
I'm off to stand in what I hope will be a very long line!
This is in response to 01602voter or better yet " hardcore video gamer nerd". Your high horse is so high that for some reason your intellect has propelled you to assume that all pink hat voters ( Apparently the " pink hat " terminology is one of your talking points taken from baseball season when you are on your couch mocking the pink hat Red Sox fans right?), are lacking the same political panache that you carry SIR. Further, your insistence that your VOTE will be swayed by these " pink hat noobs", is well a sign that people are ACTIVELY involved but that might upset you because you are a member of the ELITE voting team, much like you were furious when you didn't get chosen to be president of Red Sox Nation. Seems like you have a bit, wait, an EGO problem 01602voter , if it makes you feel any better your vote will count #1 in my book. Hopefully I have catered to your " teenage level ego".
Tell your friends to read this post as you swallow your ego down you throat.
There is going to be some mass frustration. I registered at my new address before the deadline and waited 45 minutes to be told, of course, I'm still at the old one. An election warden said there was a 3 month backlog at the registery. So, to all the new voters who are excited about democracy; the state is going to ruin your day.
I am shocked that Kerry had to stand in line with the common folk, that must have been torture for the poor man, waiting in line is unheard of for that windbag, lets all hope this in the last time he is around on election day, I love how he is checking his watch, WHAT A PHONY
01602voter, that's really a pretty lame opinion. We ALL have the right to vote, and the more who vote, the better. Who are you to determine that your vote is more important than someone else?
Pink Hats? Slactivists? And the MMO-trendy "noob"?
I hope you paid as much thoughts to your choices as you did belittling others.
Overheard in line today in Roxbury:
Polling place volunteer, to a woman in the long line behind me: "Have you been waiting a long time?"
Woman's reply: "About 200 years."
Wow, yeah it's so much better when voter apathy makes your vote count more... What a ridiculously selfish and infintile statement. You must be a small, sad person that doesn't have much control in your life 01602voter. Do you kick puppies, too! The entire point of Democracy is participation. I hope the increase in voter turn out continues. It means that the spirit of the people has not been completely broken by the last 8 years. Only slightly damaged. Thank God this country is not an Oligarchy as it would seem you would wish it to be .
Apparently 01602voter is better than the rest of the US citizens who have a right to vote. You're voting record is not really that impressive since it's what you're supposed to do.
If you want you're vote to count more than the average citizen then why don't you throw some money around. That seems to work well with most politicians.
01602voter - If you're going to make a statement such as that you might at well take the time to spell check your work. At the very least, I'm happy that so many voters feel empowered enough to do their part to "dliute" your vote; mine included.
Voting this morning at Charlestown's 2nd precinct at the Harvard Kent school--there were only 24 voting stations, a line around the block at 7:00 am. It was incredibly slow--part of the hold up was a Chinese address checker who barely spoke English, and was having alot of trouble finding addresses. There were a bunch of other non-native speakers also at the table. No native speakers. What is going on here?
01602voter , maybe you should move to a country where only a few decide the fate of a nation. It sounds like America is too democratic for you.
The pink hat noobs have a right to vote! It would be nice if everyone educated themselves on the issues but this is America and we have the right to vote half informed.
The ones that bother me are the poor people in nursing homes who are completely out to lunch but still wearing their "I voted today" stickers. My aunt didn't recognize any family and routinely "spoke" to her husband who passed away in the 70's. But she was taken out to vote. I think that borders on abuse of the elderly.
Wow 01602.
Do you think the other self-important folks felt the same way about you when you registered 19 years ago?
Voters please do not miss Free Ice Cream at Ben & Jerry's, Free Coffee at Starbucks, although I feel bad that we cannot get free Krispy Kreme donuts...but oh well...lot to enjoy all day..:)
I agree with the above. I'm a Pennsylvania resident living for the past three years in Massachusetts, and I was shocked by the difference during election time! In 2000 and 2004, Pennsylvania was consistently the backdrop for numerous campaign stops, and unfortunately, we were virtually inundated with campaign ads. The invention of TiVo was one of the greatest measures thus far. While I voted by absentee ballot for PA, I do think it's interesting how left most of New England swings. Let's hope PA does the same!
Hey 01602voter,
Get off your shameful and silly high horse. I also vote in every election and primary but I will gladly wait in line to vote if it means more people are voting. Your analogy to phony sports fans, "pink hats", is ridiculous and demeans the electorial process. You don't vote because you are a die-hard voting fan. You vote because it's your civic duty. I welcome all who wish to fulfill their civic duty, no matter what motivated them to do it. In this country there is no such thing as a phony voter and no voter is "cooler" or "better" than any other.
I voted in Methuen precinct 6. The line was down the hall, out the door, across the parking lot, and turned along the road. I was there at 6:59, one minute before the poll opened. It was beautiful. I have never seen a turnout like this in the 19 years I've been eligible to vote. I am feeling such pride in my neighbors today. Thank you all.
I miss Ohio, MA is so apathetic. I was hoping to finally see some voter turnout this morning at the polls. But like the other previous voting events, no line coming in , no waiting to enter my vote AND no line coming out. OH and PA may be battleground states, but its because its people are actively concerned about their politics... no matter on which side they may stand.
01602Voter - this is a Democracy - everyone gets one vote - and yours doesn't matter anymore than that of anyone else - despite how much more intelligent and well-informed you may perceive yourself to be. This is a great day for our democracy to have such high turnout. If you see it as anything else, there are plenty of other countries you can move to.
I voted this morning (Obama) in Plymouth and waited only about 5 minutes. I submitted my ballot around 8:45 and it was the 455th ballot this morning which is great!
I hope everyone gets out and votes today no matter who your candidate-though I wouldn't mind if McCain supporters stayed home ;)
Either way, history is going to be made tonight, I have faith for the first time in a long time...
01602voter...
It's good to know you have such disdain for the democratic process.
i hope the voting trend doesnt go away! yeah a lot more people are voting and its the "thing" to do, but isnt that what we want? sure if less people vote, i guess your vote is worth more... but thats such an awful way to look at it! It's amazing that all these people are paying attention finally! People care, people are listening, and aren't just sitting back complaining about things they could change. i think its great that people are getting out there. maybe some of us havent had time to pay such close attention for the past elections, but now we see what happens when we dont pay attention. its time to change that, and change how people feel about their vote. perhaps it was "old timers" who scared away new voters....
01602 voter - If this were the Red Sox you were talking about, I'd wholeheartedly agree with you about the 'pink hats' diluting the masses. However, lame as the 'pink hats' may be, they have as much right to vote as you do and your vote DOES NOT count more than theirs and never will. Get off your high horse.
Why encourage those who don't have a clue, those who make a decision based on a 15 second commercial, to vote if they're not fully informed. What am I supposed to do with a pretty flyer someone hands out when I'm in line to vote: Is this supposed to make up my mind??!
Everyone has a right, but that means a responsibility to get the facts too. Don't make your decision based on the endless commericials!
The "pink hats"?? Who the heck are you talking about and is that supposed to be a slur? Usually, the folks wearing pink Red Sox hats are women. Are you against women voting? If so, perhaps you should wake up and join the 21st century. For the record, I own a pink hat, and I have been a Red Sox fan for many, many years, and I have also not missed voting in an election, even primaries, whether local or state of federal, in 30 years. So perhaps you should find some other way to insult your fellow voters. And why aren't you happy that so many people want to vote? It's a democracy buddy! And Gobama!
Everybody, get out and vote!!
I voted this morning (Obama) in Plymouth and waited only about 5 minutes. I submitted my ballot around 8:45 and it was the 455th ballot this morning which is great!
I hope everyone gets out and votes today no matter who your candidate-though I wouldn't mind if McCain supporters stayed home ;)
Either way, history is going to be made tonight, I have faith for the first time in a long time...
My son emailed us from Italy and told us about this photo and article. He got a kick out of seeing it since the picture was taken at his former elementary school.
01602voter: I also have not missed an election - no matter how big or small('88 was my first) and I sort of see where you're coming from but here's my take:
I know people who never miss an election but couldn't be less informed including someone who voted for Weld because they thought Cellucci was cute.
I also know a few that would qualify as "pink hat voters" but to give them credit, they've been paying attention and even if it was just a trend that got them out - they at least put some thought into their vote.
Democracy is imperfect, but its nice to see some enthusiasm - even if just a portion of them hang on to this enthusiasm and get back out there in a less "trendy" year it will be good.
Cheers to you for not missing an election and keep on voting!
I have never waited in a line to vote, including this morning. I've always walked right in and got my ballot, and I have lived in several communities, including Boston, Lowell, and Quincy. Some places have lines, but many do not. Don't be scared off by the media coverage of the places with lines. The places with no lines are not going to make a newsworthy spectacle.
I voted (Obama) in the 7th precinct of Belmont, at 7:14 am as the 29th person to vote. Line was out the door before the polls opened. Boyfriend waited 45 minutes at same location about an hour later. It is beautiful. Turnout is high, optimism is soaring, and all that cynicism that got me down in 2000 is finally starting to melt away....
how come riot police are needed in certain places? weird
I really dislike the reporter's statement about "a chance to vote for the first black president." He is as white as he is black. He is bi-racial. He will be the first bi-racial president. Bi-racial people are always lumped into the black category. This goes back to the Jim Crow days.
I don't blame 01602voter for being frustrated with all the clueless voters. Not that they shouldn't be able to vote... but I wouldn't mind if a lot of the people who know nothing about politics or the candidates (except that one of them is black and likes change) stayed home. youtube "clueless voters in Harlem" for some examples.
Before you respond, keep in mind that I did not say that any particular race or party is clueless... I just said that a lot of clueless people support Obama. I also did not say that their right to vote should be taken away or that they should be arrested or executed or anything, I am just expressing my frustration. (I have the right to do so... right?)
Just voted in the North End...NO LINES. Walked right in.
Just voted in the North End...NO LINES. Walked right in.
Hey Globe, why don't you put the polling places with no lines on the front page? You hacks, stop being irresponsible and put a story with substance on the front page.
Lines in Cambridge this morning were over an hour long to get in the door and another 15 to 30 minutes to sign in and vote....so...doesn't look like too many people are being apathetic here! Rather inspiring, actually.
Don't be scared off by long lines, they may not be as long as you think. In Wilmington this morning, there were plently of voters, but no lines due to great organization. Thank you Wilmington. Head out to vote, you might find the same in the burbs.
What a surprise! It seems the loosers new who they were before the election even began. I hope, win or loose, everyone supports the winner of this election. After all, the country supported the present administration even when there was clear reasons to doubt their philosophy of managing governing.
AMAZING. IN THIS DAY AND AGE THIS WOMAN, Sharron Smith-Jenkins, VOTES FOR A MAN BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN. STRAIGHT UP OR REVERSE, RACISM IS RACISM.
110409voter - you should check your facts.
Massachusetts has a long and proud tradition of civic and political engagement. According to the last us census, MA had higher voter registration and higher voter turnout than OH or PA in the 04 presidential. In the midterm elections in 06, MA was between OH and PA with Ohio edging out MA by about 1% and PA at below 50% turnout.
www.census.gov/population/socdemo/voting/cps2004/tab04c.xls
www.census.gov/population/socdemo/voting/cps2004/tab04c.xls
When people stand in line at Disney World for 3 hours just to ride the log flume it doesn't make the newspapers. It's just another day at the Magic Kingdom. Yet, when we Americans have to stand in line for any length of time once every four years to exercise our right to vote, a right that many people in this world do not have, we are bombarded with sob stories on the news and in the papers!!! Give me a break! Suck it up and stand in line!
Do the people of Massachusetts have their heads in the sand....Why are you voting for an inexperience person....It's scary to think that Obama will be in charge of your security.......Please get off the bandwagon and THINK.....Give me experience....I hope and pray that this country wakes up and THINK before voting.....The Democrats have made our state a welfare state...They have encouraged people to stay at home and wait for their check to arrive.....
Born, raised and educated in Boston....My vote is for McCain......Experience and creating jobs.........Sorry WELFARE Democrats.....
Hey post 40: It's becasue people can't wait for an excuse to pillage and loot. It will be the first installment of free stuff from Prez Barry..
I voted in Acton at 6:58 am.. polls opened fq ew minutes earlier because of the long line. A women who came before me turned around at the site of the line and I asked her not to give up and it would be worth the wait. She stayed in line and once the polls opened .. the line moved quickly and we were both on our way in 10 mins..
The Government needs to make a system where we can vote online. I think this would help with larger turnout's during local elections and make it easier and quicker to vote. As for security, I have been using online banking for years and have never lost any money due to security.
01602voter: I agree. These people were to stupid to vote before. now all of the sudden it's trendy and they're out in droves. Do you think they are coming out for A) the free stuff? B) Because they are Racist? C)Ravaged by white guilt D) they want change that they cannot comprehend or E) A, B, D / A, C, D?
As a poster accurately stated, many people willingly wait on line for 3 hours for a ride at Disney World, and since most people visiting Disney are not from Florida, these same people willingly endure long queues, and security checks, at the airport flying to and from their trip to Disney. Even if one drives from New England to Disney, the ride is cumulatively over 24 hours. Now, please don't tell me that sitting in a car for that length of time is any more comfortable or tolerable than waiting on line for three hours.
People in many parts of the world do not have the right to vote, or vote in what are essentially "rubber stamp" elections. Voters in nascent democracies from Romania, South Africa (once the majority was finally given suffrage post-Apartheid), and elsewhere have willingly and enthusiastically queued up for much longer than three hours and, in some cases, for DAYS!
My last soapbox comment. The most important thing about being an American is not plastering an 11x14 American Flag on the back of your Expedition or Durango, nor is it moronically chanting “USA, USA, USA” at any and every sporting event. It is the right to vote.
This election is, arguably, the most important in my living history (I was born in 1970). However, there is no such thing as a “minor” or “unimportant” election. Every election is important.
Another post 9/11 jingoistic (in my opinion) slogan with which I actually agree: Freedom is not free.
Freedom, especially the freedom to elect one's government, is priceless.
Thank you for reading.
- FYI, I live in Walpole and voted at the Old Post Road School. The parking lot was filled to capacity by the time I arrived at 6:48am. There were already at least 150 people waiting on line ahead of me. With that having been said, the line-up moved very quickly and efficiently, and I was out of the polling place and back in my car at 7:23am. 25 minutes altogether; I usually spend longer than that at my local Shaw’s, and I don’t like to shop!
Chuck Cifuni, what are you talking about? What is a looser? As opposed to a tighter? I never "new" that the country supported the present administration, I thought that the approval rating for the present adminstrations philosophy of managing governing was a little loweringly.
I hope you and the rest of the tighters with your IQ stay home today.
I love all the Republicans crying. I'm so ready and willing to listen to more of it over the next 4-8 years. Blame yourselves for voting in Bush, the worst president in history, and twice at that, instead of giving McCain his rightful chance 8 years ago. You blew it, so blame yourselves! Meanwhile, we'll be busy undoing all the damage of the last 8 years. Yes we can!
Post 51/Denise - I feel the same way!! It's completely reprehensible to me why people are so brainwashed by a man with little to no experience...I'm truly convinced Obama fans have been subliminally brainwashed by the one sided media...I want to clap my hands and scream "WAKE UP"... He's done NOTHING for this country, has NO resume and has yet to produce his birth certificate...scary. God help us.
Dem4Mcain: thanks for letting us know who's really "to stupid"
Ohhhhh Michael (#48), I don't even know why I'm dignifying this with a response. People have been voting with who they identify with for years, this does not make it racist. If she was voting for Obama because she hates white people and refuses to vote for them, then that would be racist.
In addition, the African American community has consistently voted Democrat in past elections. Do you really expect them to vote for McCain now? Please.
No lines for me, and even if there were, as one other person said, the lines go quickly.
Vote. Just do it.
The issue of Obama's experience should be put to rest just by looking at our present president. Who could argue that he had the right pedigree to be the president of this country but look what happened. Believing you know is worse than admitting you need to learn. Good bye believers!
Voted for McCain! he is a real american hero not like Obama who hasn't done anything in his life other than to work the system strictly for himself. If he is elected I feel sorry for this great country of ours.
Post 51 and 59 - No one has experience in this area unless they did it before. McCains 26 years in government isn't really experience we need unless all 26 years he was doing the right things, in which case he would likely have one 8 years ago. People talk up experience, it is more about commitment to doing the right thing, the knowledge to know what you know and what you don't know, and having the right people there to help fill the gaps. This is leadership. Leaders are not always the people with the most experience, they are the people who know how to get the most out of those around them and make things happen. Obama seems to be more about leadership than experience. McCain is all about experience. He doesn't know how to make others want to do things. McCain isn't a leader. People don't want to follow where he goes. But people will continue to roll out the old, I want a person with experience, rather than I want a leader.
I voted none of the above.
I was the 185th voter at 7:30 am who voted at Temple Shalom in West Medford. The line was long and people were upbeat and jovial. It was inspiring to see many in the line who also brought their children to experience and feel democracy in action.
If you haven't voted yet, do go and vote! It's all of our civic duty.
The right to vote does not discriminate - you can educate yourself about the issues or vote for the cutest candidate. It doesn't matter - you have the right to vote as you choose. But, I have faith in the American public. I have faith that those who vote based on issues balance out those who vote based on anything else. The main point is, people are getting involved and they are voting. That is good.
Much has been argued about “experience”. But experience is often what stifles innovation. Experience brings the attitude, “I’ve done this, I know this, and I know the right answer.” Experience often results in the same outcome over and over again because it does the same thing over and over again. Experience has a hard time thinking outside the box.
On the other hand, change and, most importantly, leadership comes from being able to say, “Let’s get all the facts and figure this out together.” Great leaders know what they don’t know, they ask questions, they utilize the strengths and abilities of those around them, and they calmly seek what is the best way.
Experience does not equal leadership. This country and this world need a leader as the next President of the United States.
I was at City Hall to vote at 7 AM and again at 11:15. Both times the line was at least 3 hours long. If you can't afford to take the day off, you can't vote in Boston.
The system is great. I voted three times today at different polling stations.
What experience did George W. Bush have? Seriously, you knock Obama on experience when we've had a Grade A moron in the White House for 8 years? And the funny thing is, YOU probably put him there!
Why was 01602voter's post deleted? I want to see what all the fuss is about!
The polling locations are swamped?!?!
The Globe already reported that voter turnout in the Commonwealth this year was only 3% higher than last election. Why is there suddenly a problem?
MA born and raised now in Arizona - McCain (Republican country)
One thing that you can say about MA - the voters know when they hear BS out of a campaign. Today was a wait in line about 1 hour and 10 minutes to vote. Although the lines were long, I am encouraged as I sensed from the people there that they were there to vote Obama. Believe it or not, McCain's home state may be blue after today. Miss you all!
P.S. OH and PA people are gullible.
I'm tired of hearing about "experience". Read your history books.....Some of our greatest presidents have had little to no experience such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, JFK. Everyone has the right to their opinion without mockery, this is a bipartisan government that we maintain through voting. Throwing mud at other candidates is immature and should not be allowed in elections, regardless of the competition. Remember high school politics? Real life politicians have become just a little too much like that. In the end vote for who you believe has as close to your own beliefs and causes, not because they are "experienced", black, bi-racial, charming, or some celebrity endorses them. It is not about who they are and where they come from, it is not even about what they have done, because experience does not denote the ability to know the future and what to do with it, about it, and for it, it is about what you believe they will do for you. Just because they promise something, doesn't mean it will happen. As throughout history, eventually the parties will change...after all, when they started the Republicans were the liberals when the Whigs were in power. Everything changes in time.
I LIVE IN FAIRHAVEN, PARKED IN HANDICAP SPSCE, WALKED IN, NO LINE, VOTED AND WAS OUT IN 10 MINUTES. WHAT LONG LINES? NOT IN FAIRHAVEN. BW
I voted at Everett City Hall around 1:30 pm. There was no line. For some reason, people brought pets to the polls (chihuahuas and toy poodles are NOT assistance animals!).
"He's done NOTHING for this country, has NO resume and has yet to produce his birth certificate...scary. "
Why does Obama need to produce his birth certificate? His mother was a citizen. No one is asking for McCain's birth certificate.
I noticed many of the Obama supporters were also waiting with their hands out. They were waiting to rape me of the money I work hard for every day. They call that fair. America was built on principles of personal freedom and responsibility and now it's going to become a welfare state. A country where everyone is entitled to something even if they didn't lift a finger for it.
ml2620
Bush was a Governor for years. Obama was a community agent for ACORN, the group that is trying to help him steal this election.
From G-Man:
Question #1: A "yes" vote means that a plush-bottomed bureaucrat will deep-six meals-on-wheels in order to keep his state-funded Ford Expedition. Although this is hypothetical, I voted against #1 because it doesn't stipulate were cuts will be made.
Question #2: A "yes" vote means that a 20 year-old with a small amount of Indo gets a criminal record that will haunt and hold them back for the rest of their life. Another hypothetical, but a "yes" vote.
Question #3: I've read horror stories about how the dogs are treated. Another "yes."
Mass voters will once again prove their ignorance by giving "democrats" a huge majority. The irony of it all is that they think they are smarter than people in the rest of the country.
MA voters are ignorant?
Wingnuts ought to stop projecting themselves: you have nominated Sarah Palin, and MA voters are ignorant?
Blue States = Better Schools, Smarter People:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Harvard University - Blue
2 Princeton University - Blue
3 Yale University - Blue
4 University of Pennsylvania - Blue
5 Duke University - Red
6 Stanford University - Blue
7 California Institute of Technology - Blue
8 Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Blue
9 Columbia University - Blue
10 Dartmouth College - Blue
11 Washington University in St Louis - Red
12 Northwestern University - Blue
13 Cornell University - Blue
14 John Hopkins University - Blue
15 Brown University - Blue
16 University of Chicago - Blue
14 - Blue
2 - Red
Coincidence?
Meyrav
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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