At Boston polls, heavy turnout and strong opinions

At Holy Name Parish in vote-rich West Roxbury, traditionally one of the city's busiest polling places, poll workers said turnout appeared to be higher than in the strongly contested mayoral race in November.

A few orange hand-written Brown signs competed on the fence outside with a row of Martha Coakley signs. Just one volunteer -- a man holding a Brown sign -- stood outside in the slush.

Ronald Allan, 49, a human services worker from West Roxbury, said he voted for Coakley because, he said, "We need to push the health care agenda forward."

"I think she's a no-nonsense person, she's articulate, she's smart, I like the way she thinks, and I think we need someone progressive in that seat," Allan said.

He said the race was so close because voters had set unrealistically high expectations for President Obama.

"I think there are people who expected the Obama administration to work miracles in a year, and because they're not seeing the movement -- gas prices are still high, unemployment is still high -- people are feeling frustrated,'' Allan said. "People want instant gratification. But we can't have instant gratification after the previous eight years. We have to keep the momentum going."

Mark Giordano, a 42-year-old plumber from Roslindale, said he voted for state Senator Scott Brown.

"Not a Coakley fan and wanted some change, and I think he's the man to do it," said Giordano, a registered Republican.

Thelma Moore, an 80-year-old retired nurse from West Roxbury, said she voted for Coakley because "you vote the party when you get to this stage in life," said Moore, a registered Democrat.

"I'm surprised that it's so close," she said of the race. "But then again, in this day and age, I'm not surprised by anything that happens. Hopefully, things will turn out alright."

At Boston City Hall, a steady stream of voters were casting ballots.

Bill Luke, a 62-year-old chief financial officer who lives downtown, voted for Coakley because he said he cares about health care and would "hate to see us lose the majority," in the US Senate.

Still, he questioned the way the attorney general had run her campaign. "It should not be as close as it is at this point," he said.

Ron Ratney, a 77-year-old retired employee of the US Department of Labor who lives on the waterfront, said he voted for Coakley because "I want to get health care passed'' while the issue is on the front burner in Washington.

Corey Welford, a Coakley spokesman, said the campaign has received reports that a voter in Boston and one in Cambridge were handed ballots that had already been filled out for Brown. Welford said the "voting irregularities" were reported to Secretary of State William F. Galvin.