Politics & Government

Afternoon Count Shows 15.4 Percent Voter Turnout

Polls close at 8 p.m.

With three hours to go until the polls close, poll workers have reported a slow turnout for Tuesday's primary elections.

"It's been a steady trickle," said Ann Glaser, Republican moderator for district 133-1. "It hasn't been a wave."

Polls opened at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. in the six polling places throughout town. Out of about 1,000 eligible voters in district 133-1, only 167 turned up by 2:30 p.m. to cast a ballot at Greens Farms Elementary School. For district 136-4, also located in the school, 205 people out of approximately 1,000 voters had voted.

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"The busiest time was at 10 a.m., if you can call it busy," Glaser said.

At Long Lots Elementary School, 395 votes out of a possible 2,400 have been cast as of 3 p.m.

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"It's been a slow trickle of people; just like this," said Republican moderator John Luscombe, gesturing to the six voters in the Long Lots gymnasium. "Sometimes there's nobody here."

Outside of each polling station, signs for the federal and state elections were scattered throughout the area. Representatives for Stephen Rubin and Nitzy Cohen, Republicans vying for the 136th Assembly District, handed out literature to voters. Rubin greeted voters at Long Lots Elementary School. A few dozen feet away, Cohen's supporters did the same to the few voters passing by.

"It's been steady. Nothing crazy" said Jeff Loselle, who had been working in front of a large photo of Cohen since 6 a.m. "And this is one of the busier (polling stations.)"

At the 3 p.m. count, Registrars of Voters Judy Raines and Marla Cowden report that  1,730 Westporters have voted. That's about 15.4 percent of the vote.

The registrars did not have a breakdown between how many Republicans and how many Democrats voted.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Raines said of voter turnout. "It's steadily increasing."

The registrars count the number of voters every three hours. The first count yielded 437 voters. Just after the afternoon count, Raines received a call from a poll worker at Greens Farms Elementary School reporting every booth was filled with voters.

Raines said she wasn't sure if the numbers would prove to be typical of other primaries. In the Sept. 9, 2009 Republican primary for First Selectman, 291 voters turned out for the morning count. In the Nov. 8, 2008 primary, 9,161 voters turned out for the morning count.

Cowden said she wasn't sure if the numbers were typical. 

"This is my first primary," she said. "It's hard to predict what the ending numbers will be."

The registrars said the results will start to come in around 8:30 p.m. tonight, after the polls close at 8 p.m.

Official results will be reported and then "tallymen" will ensure the results.

Raines said so far there have been no problems at the polls and all machines are working properly. 

"That's a good day," she said.


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