Primary Election on a Sunny Day

It’s 12:30 in downtown Manchester. City officials are saying voter turnout is heavy. Especially in some of the outer wards, where numbers are expected to exceed those from 1996, a presidential election year. But at the Rhine Center on Elm Street, the new polling station for Ward 2, clerk Maryanne Russell is hopeful one third of her voters show up.

3:12 (how does this race compare) I think it’s a little slower, I might be off. I think it seems kind of slow. Hopefully, as the day goes on, turnout will get better. Also, it’s kind of hot.

Sfx: elm street

Outside, Morgan Smith is holding a Jeb Bradley sign. She is one of about 15 people sign waving for candidates. More impressive, is her stamina to endure 90 something temperatures without the benefit of shade. Smith concedes turnout in Ward two isn’t off the charts, but she says, it’s not horrible either.

:24 while you could certainly look at this through a negative lens, of I am disappointed that more people aren’t showing up. You could spin that and say it is 98 degrees out. It is Tuesday, tomorrow is not going to be a fun day, it’s September 11th, it’s going to be a tough week. It depends on how you look at it, it’s either half full or half empty.

It’s 1:30 in Weare, New Hampshire. The polling place parking lot is fairly full. People are walking briskly in and out past the sign holders. Unlike the people in Manchester, these folks have trotted out the umbrellas to escape the sun.

Weare election official Terry Knowles says so far, 700 of 4000 registered voters have gone to the polls. She predicts another 700 will by the end of the day. Those numbers surprise Knowles, given the new redistricting maps.

:35 with the new redistricting in Weare, where we are now part of the Goffstown district, we get eight representatives from both twons, our voters know how important it is to support Weare candidates, b/c we could end up with no candidates from the town of Weare…Not even Neal Kurk.

Standing outside the polling place, a figure in white shirt and white pants stands off to the side of the umbrella crowd. For shade, an Australian bush hat crowns this state representative’s head. Neal Kurk, who showed up when the polling place opened at 7, wasn’t concerned that Weare residents haven’t overwhelmed the polling place…yet.

2:30 it’s roughly half way thorugh the day and we have half the people we need to make 1400, predicted by Mr. Gardner. I could see us having a very big turnout this afternoon…we usually get the after school crowd…then the after work crowd. So things are looking pretty good at the moment. I certainly hope they will improve, but not bad.

Secretary of State Gardner says he expects record turnouts in part because 1000 candidates are running in this year’s primary- and they all have friends. But if Manchester’s Ward 2, and Weare are any indication, it will only be today’s heat that breaks any records. For NHPR News, I’m DG.