New Haven Independent

City “Has Never Seen Anything Like This”

by Paul Bass | November 4, 2008 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)

(Updated) Thousands of New Haveners began lining up at dawn — and out the door of polling places — to, as Southern student Kyana Williams (pictured at left ) put it, be a part of history. Betty Cordoza (top photo), 82, waited over an hour to cast her vote at the Berger Apartments in West River.

From Hillhouse to Truman school, from the East Shore to Westville, voters started showing up well before the polls opened at 6 a.m. Tuesday, many of them excited to cast their ballot for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Precincts that see handfuls of voters trickle in during the course of a typical election day had people willing to wait an hour or more to vote. Officials suggest that voters prepare to wait as long as two hours to cast their ballots, depending on what time they arrive. Voters have the opportunity to fill out ballots for Barack Obama, John McCain or Ralph Nader; candidates for U.S. Congress, State Senate and State House of Representative; and a controversial ballot question.

Lines shrank somewhat after the morning rush hour, with waits down to 35 minutes even in busier spots like Ward 25’s Edgewood School. Officials expect the lines to stretch back out at peak times, and anticipate keeping the polls open as late as 10 p.m. to accommodate all the voters who make to the polls by the official 8 p.m. close.

“It’s been a beautiful hour,” Betty Cordoza said as she approached the voting booth at Berger Apartments. When she got to the polling station, the line stretched down the block all the way to the Dunkin’ Donuts. Someone gave her a wheelchair to rest in. Morning lines lasted up to two hours, according to the voting moderator.

As she waited, Cordoza waved to friends passing by. She is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and community organizer in the West River area. She said voted for Obama with her little ones in mind.

“I’d like to see somebody give the youth an uplift,” she said. “Everything I do is for them, to upgrade their lives.”

“It’s going to be history,” Kyana Williams, a 20-year-old social work major, said as she stood on the line outside the Elllsworth Avenue firehouse. “To actually see the first black president in office! I’m going to be contributing.”

By 10:15 a.m. 477 people had voted at the usually sleepy polling spot, according to Ward 24 Alderwoman Liz McCormack. She said she had “never, never” seen a parade like this in her 22 years working elections in the ward.

State Rep. Toni Walker was ebullient after standing waiting an hour starting at 6 a.m. alongside other Ward 28 voters at Hillhouse High School.

“How can you not be excited about today?” she said. “People who had never voted are standing in line for an hour to make history. New Haven has never seen anything like this.”

She encountered one 8 year-old boy who stood on line alongside his mother. He told Walker they were voting for Obama. She asked why.

“He’s going to bring health care for everybody,” the boy said. His mom chimed in: “He watches MSNBC more than I do!”

Reader Khalid Lum showed up at Troup School at 5:30 a.m. in order to be one of the first to cast ballots. A hundred fellow voters had shown up by the time the doors opened, and the line continued growing, he reported.

The foyer to the recently rebuilt school remained jammed through mid-morning (pictured).

Click on the comments section below to add your polling-place experience.

At Edgewood School, Natalie Judd poured coffee for voters in lines snaking through the winding art-filled hallways. The PTO served homemade chicken and rice, pasta fagiole, and vegetarian curry soups along with baked goods. By 9 a.m., 551 Westvillians had already cast their ballots at the Ward 25 polling spot.

Sharon Ferrucci has worked election day since 1979. She predicted Tuesday’s election will be New Haven’s busiest not just of her 29 years on the job — but since the man whose picture hangs on her office wall, John F. Kennedy, won the presidency in 1960. That year the U.S. elected its first Catholic president. This year it may elect its first African-American.

“Bring crocheting. Bring knitting. Bring a happy smile on your face and be happy that you live in this country and you’re able to vote,” Ferrucci (pictured with deputy Helen Powell-King) said Monday in her busy second-floor office as she got ready to swear in Tuesday’s moderators for the city’s 35 polling places. “For me this is the most exciting election I’ve ever prepared for.”

Statewide, officials are anticipating a record 2.1 million voters. Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz Monday suggested that people consider voting between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to avoid the longest lines. (Click here for Christine Stuart’s report.)

Ferrucci began to see the high-pitched excitement in New Haven in the March presidential primary. The interest in voting has peaked this fall: Between Sept. 23 and Oct. 29, the deadline for this election, the number of registered voters in town leaped from around 58,000 to 65,159. (Breakdown: 44,913 Democrats, 2,710 Republicans, 17,200 unaffiliated, and 336 “other.”)

Another indication of the voting excitement this year: About 3,500 New Haveners have already voted by absentee ballot, compared to a total of around 1,400 in a typical election, according to Deputy City Clerk Sally Brown.

Where To Vote, & What For

For some voters, polling places shift each year in New Haven because of the way state legislative districts are drawn. Wards sometimes have more than one voting place because some of the voters vote in, say, the 11th State Senate district, some in the 10th.

Click here for a list of polling places, broken down by ward and district. Confused? Call 946-8035.

After voting, take your “I voted” sticker to Atticus Bookstore Café, Chabaso Bakery Outlet, Nica’s Market, and Romeo and Casare’s Market to pick up a free loaf of artisan bread, courtesy of Chabaso Bakery. It’s an election day tradition in New Haven.

Besides the presidential race, Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro is being challenged by Republican Boaz ItsHaky and Green Ralph Ferrucci. Democrat State Sen. Toni Harp is facing a challenge from Republican Melissa Papantones; click here for a story on that race. Democratic State Rep. Pat Dillon has a challenge from Republican Paul Ortiz. Democratic newcomer Gary Holder-Winfield and independent Willie Greene are squaring off in the 94th District. The city’s other state legislators face no opponents.

There’s also a competitor for the office of Registrar of Voters. Sharon Ferrucci and Republican Rae D. Tramontano are guaranteed reelection under the charter. The Greens are fielding a candidate, Charlie Pillsbury, their local party chairman. Pillsbury is replacing Green Mary Anne Davis on the ballot; if he wins, the city will have a third registrar.

Voters can weigh in on two ballot questions, as well. One, pushed by opponents of same-sex marriage, would pave the way for a state constitutional convention; read about that here and here. The second question would allow 17 year-olds to vote in primaries if they turn 18 on the day of the general election.

Anticipating Problems

Sharon Ferrucci is telling moderators to prepare for people who wait hours to vote, only to learn their names aren’t on the list. If that happens, her instructions are as follows:

Step 1: She wants moderators to call in to the central registrars’ office to see if the person’s name appears on the inactive voters’ list, which remains in effect for four years after lost contact with a voter.

Step 2: If not, the voter may have come to a polling place where he or she used to vote before moving somewhere else. In that case, moderators will have forms for the voters to fill out to take to the right place.

Step 3: If people are eligible to vote, but haven’t registered, they can cast a presidential ballot in the Board of Aldermen chambers on the second floor of City Hall. They can vote for president only.

Ferrucci is telling moderators to station volunteers outside to keep watch over lines when the polls close at 8 p.m. Anyone who shows up by then will be allowed to vote; anyone who arrives later will not be allowed on the line. Ferrucci anticipates it could take to as late as 10 p.m. to get everyone inside to vote.

Despite all the potential headaches, Ferrucci was positively chipper Monday. She said she’s ready. After all, she’s an old pro.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been ready for months,” she said. “When do I get my cake?”

Melissa Bailey contributed to this story.

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Comments

Posted by: Nestor Makhno | November 3, 2008 7:03 PM

"Sheep run to the slaughterhouse, silent and hopeless, but at least sheep never vote for the butcher who kills them or the people who devour them. More beastly than any beast, more sheepish than any sheep, the voter names his own executioner."

Posted by: josh | November 4, 2008 1:11 AM

wow, 2 hours in line? forget it, i'm not voting.

Posted by: Tim | November 4, 2008 7:03 AM

Dont forget people, there are more than two canidates running for President. Think for yourself, dont go off what the media is telling you to vote for.

Posted by: urban ed | November 4, 2008 7:10 AM

I arrived at our local polling place (13th--Jepson School) at 6am when polls opened, and the line was already out the door and down the sidewalk. It only took about 20 minutes for me to get through, but by the time I came out, the line was well into the parking lot. The mood on line was markedly jovial. I hope it stays that way. While scanning the line on my way out I ran into the parent of three of our recent graduates and got to catch up a little. All in all a pleasant experience.

Here's hoping everyone will stick with it and not become too frustrated by the long wait. And that there will be enough ballots, and the new-fangled machines will continue to function properly (no one has been able to convince me of why it was a good idea to get rid of our old lever machines.)

Posted by: MTP | November 4, 2008 8:04 AM

It took 15 minutes with a line around the building at Conte/West Hills.

It would probably be even quicker if they had a better system set up to notify people which line they should be in. The Ward is split into two sections of the gym and you wait in one line with everyone until you get to the first gym and then they tell you where to go. Signs would be more effective with greeters re-checking at both gym entrances.

As for Nestor...baaahh..baahhhh...baahhhhh

Posted by: Deuce | November 4, 2008 8:07 AM

I miss the old pull-the-lever voting machines.

Posted by: DEZ | November 4, 2008 9:11 AM

2 hours out of all the hours of your life, Josh, and you won't spare them to vote? I'm sure you've waited longer in line for concert tickets. I'll refrain from calling you a loser.

Posted by: Muva | November 4, 2008 9:14 AM

The line at Wilbur Cross was huge! It only took an hour, and there was lots of friendly chitchat with others in the line. The WC Senior Class had a rolling coffee and muffin cart, raffles, and a soup and sandwich station inside. It was one of the best hours of my life -- honestly. The members of the class of '09 that I talked to were brilliant young people that gave me new hope for this city! I overheard one talking to another about a blood drive she attended yesterday, and here she was today, volunteering again. I had no idea such leaders were only a few blocks away from my home!!!
I walked home feeling refreshed and alive!

Posted by: JMS | November 4, 2008 9:22 AM

Approx. 1hr at Edgewood school this morning... but he line was getting much shorter as I left. Bake sale and coffee was being delivered out to the voters waiting in line.

GO VOTE!!!!

Posted by: anon | November 4, 2008 9:34 AM

Nestor: Better than the executioner just coming and killing you, before you've had a chance to vote him into office or not.

Posted by: FairHavenResToo | November 4, 2008 9:37 AM

I arrived at the Lombard Fire Station in Fair Haven at 6:10 and there was about a 25 minute wait, so not bad; line had disappeared by 7:00. People started lining up before 5:30.

Posted by: jawbone | November 4, 2008 9:59 AM

One hour wait at Wilbur Cross (Ward 10) from 7:30 to 8:30am. I went by there around 9am and the line was shorter, so my time in line must have been during the pre-work spike. Great to see all the neighbors you never see.

Posted by: robn | November 4, 2008 10:54 AM

One hour in line beats another eight suck-@$$ years with Republicans in charge.

Posted by: joey A | November 4, 2008 11:09 AM

"to be a part of history" instead of voting for the one who you believe will best bring or country forward vary sad, this shows that we are all in for bad times! voting age should be 25 and older!

Posted by: anon | November 4, 2008 11:15 AM

No bicycle racks at some of the polling places. How does the city expect people to get to the polls? This is an outrage.

Posted by: Deuce | November 4, 2008 11:39 AM

"To be a part of history"

Gee, I hate to break it to some, but that African-American running for president is half-white. And the closer he gets to the Oval Office, the whiter he becomes.

Posted by: Peter | November 4, 2008 11:49 AM

ANON

why should the city pay for bike racks?

Posted by: concrenedwestvilleres | November 4, 2008 12:10 PM

Regardless of who you want to win, it is exciting to see the numbers showing up to vote even in Connecticut where the outcome is not in doubt. The sad thing is that if this kind of turnout had occurred in Florida in 2000 (or if Tennessee had voted for Gore instead of Bush) and if the turnout was like this in 2004, Bush wouldn't be an issue right now (and Obama probably wouldn't be in the race as Edwards or Lieberman would be running).

Why does it take an African-American candidate to bring out the African-American vote and the young vote? I am glad that people are turning out in droves today, but it will be for naught if it doesn't continue in the future.

On another note, why can't we get this turnout in elections that have as great an impact on us as New Haveners (city and state elections)? I hope this turnout will continue in the future-- and that all citizens will make changes that count at the city, state, and national level.

Posted by: Kathleen | November 4, 2008 12:59 PM

I agree with ROBN: "One hour in line beats another eight suck-@$$ years with Republicans in charge." (!!!)

Posted by: Cheri | November 4, 2008 2:00 PM

I waited 2 hours this morning at Troup School (7:45 - 9:45, busy hours, I guess).
People were happy to wait in line for this one!

Posted by: Carole | November 4, 2008 2:10 PM

ConcernedWestvilleRes,

Do you remember the thousands of African-American voters who were wrongly purged from the rolls, turned away at the polls, and otherwise prevented from exercising their constitutional rights in Florida in 2000? And do you remember that it was the congressional Black Caucus that formally contested that stolen election, while our white senators approved the results?

I agree that low turnout hurts New Haven -- especially the black and Latino wards -- and the whole country. But let's not blame African-Americans for the past eight years of national misery.

Posted by: anon | November 4, 2008 2:10 PM

Peter,

The polling places are public buildings. Shouldn't they provide parking? How else will people get to them?

The city and state pay literally millions of dollars per year to create lots and on-street spaces for automobiles, in the form of paving and repaving -- so why are bicyclists disenfranchised?

Does the government not want them to vote?

Posted by: Jennifer Macchiarelli | November 4, 2008 2:20 PM

Visit our blog to see photos from Ward 9 at East Rock Magnet School. We also posted them here:

http://pollingplaces.nytimes.com/content.cfm?page=photo_detail&voterID=8203157&photoID=26849813&fromSearch=1

Posted by: WESTVILLEVOTER | November 4, 2008 3:30 PM

Took less than 5 minutes at the Edgewood School this afternoon.

However, I am VERY disappointed and ashamed of the City of New Haven for towing and ticketing the cars of voters who were exercising their civic duty. This morning there were 6-7 tow trucks lined up around several polling places waiting to tow voters even though the polling places had very limited parking available. It's especially disheartening given that many of the people in line were hoping to vote before work only to leave the polling place and find their vehicles had been towed. Shame on you New Haven.

Posted by: 2nd Amendment | November 4, 2008 4:18 PM

If we could get turnouts like this for municipal elections, we'd get rid of King John ASAP.

Posted by: Fedupwithliberals | November 4, 2008 5:25 PM

KATHLEEN and ROBN

If you hadn't noticed, the democrats were running both houses over the past two years. Thank Barney Frank and Chris Dodd for the economic meltdown.

Posted by: Insider | November 4, 2008 5:40 PM

Hey for all you liberals voting for Obama today, ponder this, even if he wins do you really think he'll be running the country, or will it be Nancy Pelosi....and think about the liberal agenda.

Posted by: robn | November 4, 2008 6:12 PM

FUWL,

I stand corrected...only 6 of the last 8 suck-@$$ years were under complete Republican control. By the way, did you know that 9 of the 10 bills that George Bush vetoed were after the Dems came into their tenuous control of Congress?

Lets break it down baby...the kids (Republicans) maxed out the credit cards on kegs, had a huge party, trashed the house....now mom and dad have to clean up.

Posted by: Lance | November 4, 2008 6:37 PM

May the wrath of Farrakhan be upon you.

Posted by: JSJ | November 4, 2008 7:52 PM

Westvillevoter-

I saw the line of tow trucks parked along Edgewood Ave. this morning- they line up there every street sweeping morning to get cars out of the way for street sweeping (and cash in big-time, judging by how many there were!).

There were no parking- street sweeping signs posted all along the section of Edgewood Ave. near the bridge. Had the people whose cars were towed parked in areas where these signs were posted?

Posted by: JSJ | November 4, 2008 7:53 PM

Oh, man. I can't believe I forgot all about the liberal agenda. Oh, well.

Posted by: muva | November 4, 2008 8:18 PM

"May the wrath of Farrakhan be upon you."

Woo-ha! I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time. Thank You!
Honestly, I'm more worried about the wrath of Harry Sargeant III, Mustafa Abu-Naba'a, and Mohammad Anwar Farid Al-Saleh! Those guys are a lot scarier and more powerful than Farrakhan could ever be (and they've donated hundreds of thousands to McCain).

Posted by: Luchador | November 4, 2008 10:06 PM

I voted for the free Chabaso Bread...........if only it was Apacelli's Italian!

Posted by: KAMB | November 4, 2008 10:14 PM

We're in trouble. Socialism, more taxes for the middle class, more government programs and handouts for the non-producing citizens . . . Ugh! Was there any candidate here that would really be good for America? I think we need a 3rd and 4th party of moral and fiscally responsible people to run this country who are more moderate. . . . Oh well, I'll cross my fingers.

Posted by: muva | November 4, 2008 10:37 PM

"We're in trouble. Socialism, more taxes for the middle class, more government programs and handouts for the non-producing citizens . . . "

We're in trouble. Christian-conservatism, more tax-breaks for the top 10%, more government programs and handouts for the very companies that send jobs overseas in order to save money . . .
Kamb, did you vote today? There were other parties represented. Until one of them gets that coveted 8% of the vote, you will never see public funding for a third party. A vote for one of them would've been a vote for a multi-party system.

Posted by: cmariej | November 7, 2008 7:23 PM

I was at the Ross Woodward school on Barnes Ave and waited a few hours to vote when I went in to give my I.D to the ladies all the ladies were very nice i`m glad !!! I was also glad to see the ward - chairs of the 12th ward out and about.

City “Has Never Seen Anything Like This”

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