Voter Turnout High in Tight Pennsylvania Races

Upper Providence, PA – Fifty people lined up outside the Royersford Baptist Church before the polling place doors opened at 7:00 am this morning.  Representatives for both parties standing outside greeting voters were amazed.  A local Republican committeewoman remarked that those numbers are typical in Presidential elections, but not in mid-term election years. 

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The turnout demonstrates how high the stakes are in Pennsylvania races, especially the election for United States Senator which has two term incumbent Rick Santorum fighting for reelection against Bob Casey Jr.  Santorum is an outspoken conservative with significant leadership positions in the Senate, including serving as chair of the Senate Finance subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy.  As Chairman of the Republican Conference, Santorum is the third highest ranking Republican in the Senate.  Casey is the Auditor General of Pennsylvania, and son of the late Pa. Governor Bob Casey, a well-loved moderate Democrat. 

 

This year’s election elicited some strong opinions from people going to vote.  One woman stopped to speak to the campaign representatives at the Upper Providence Township building handing out literature.  “You tell all your candidates that they have got to stop all this negative advertising!  We had been bombarded by it this year and it’s terrible.  I must have got 50 phone calls from candidates attacking their opponent.  Oh well, I heard that we remember the negative stuff more than the good stuff, but I just don’t believe it.” 

 

High school student Drew Ward showed up early to hand out literature to voters for extra credit in his U.S. Government class at Spring-Ford High School.  “My teacher Mr. Salamon gives extra credit to honors students who work at the poll.  But I got to choose which side to work for, so I’m passing out literature for Mike Vereb.”  Mike Vereb is a Republican running for State Representative in southeastern Pa.  Two other girls from his class stood with the Democratic party volunteers. 

 

Mont Clare Republican committeewoman Sandy Murphy reported that they had received 54 absentee ballots this year.  When asked how many they normally received she said, “Oh about 5.”  Voters steadily streamed in and out of the parking lot at the Upper Providence township building mid-morning.  When I showed up at 8:15 am I was the 127th voter. 

 

At the Royersford Baptist Church the campaign volunteers were very friendly and joked around with one another.  They all agreed that their polling place was the best around to work at because the Church provides free donuts and coffee to everyone.  A young man named Steve with a coat and tie manned the donut table inside.  A fellow parishioner remarked that it was killing poor Steve that he is not allowed to talk politics inside the polling place. 

 Outside the volunteers recounted the story of a little old lady who was “older than God” who gave them an earful earlier that morning.  She said she liked W. because “even though there is a war going on, I can still go out and drive around.”  She didn’t like FDR because during that war she had to stay “cooped up inside all the time.”  This past spring she told volunteers she likely wouldn’t live to see them at the next election, and today she told them the same thing.  “As long as I’m still alive, I’ll keep coming to vote.”