January 19 2008, 3:43 pm
Beltram checking turnout, and it’s good, so far
We bumped into Spartanburg County GOP Chairman Rick Beltram at West View Elementary School, where he was trying to get a take on the voter turnout, which he hoped would reach 30 percent.
At West View, a traditionally strong Republican precinct, about 700 of roughly 2,100 registered voters had voted as of about 2:30 p.m. Other strong GOP precincts such as Spartanburg High, Trinity Methodist Church and Ben Avon also had similar turnout totals, he said.
At the Boiling Springs High School precinct, which with more than 5,000 registered voters is the largest in the county, Beltram said more than 900 people had voted, about 600 short of the 30 percent total he is shooting for. Voting continues until 7 p.m., so that number will certainly increase.
Snow is falling in the northern and eastern parts of the county, while most of the rest of seeing a wintry mix. But with temperatures in the high 30s, the roads have not yet iced over, and it appears that weather, at least in Spartanburg County, won’t be much of an issue when it comes to turnout.
Beltram also noted that the Saturday polling makes for a different type of scene at polling areas. Evident at most of the bigger polling stations has been a slow trickle of voters and rather steady lines, a contrast to the usual Tuesday scene, where crowds pack in before and after work, or during lunch, while at other times there is no action.
— Sean P. Flynn
Local voters agree - campaigns went over the line with phone calls
In the splintered Republican presidential race, there seems to be one thing everyone can agree on: Thank heavens the phone calls are going to end.
Nearly every person I’ve talked to thus far has expressed exasperation at what seemed like a never-ending spate of campaign phone calls in the last week—some automated, some personal, all begging people to vote for a particular candidate. Some people admitted they got rude or angry, and others said they have just stopped answering the phone altogether.
One voter, Tony Ivey of Boiling Springs, noted to me the size of the field, and its inability to shrink after earlier primary contests, had probably led to the barrage of late phone calls.
I tend to agree. Last week for a story about campaign volunteers, I watched John McCain and Rudy Giuliani supporters make phone calls to area residents, and you have to figure both campaigns, as well as the others, are drawing from the same rolls.
I’m not a sociologist, so I can’t say if these types of campaign phone pleas work at all, but either way, I can say that it seems like most people are happy to see them go until the next time around.
— Sean P. Flynn
Busy morning in Boiling Springs
During a quick tour of the county, the busiest polling place I saw was at Boiling Springs High School, where approximately 200 people had already voted by 10:45.
One couple, Lisa and Jimmy Dorsett, said they waited about 15 minutes to vote; another man, Tim Vaughan, said that he was the 190th voter and that 20 people were behind in him line.
Lisa Dorsett, who said she chose Mike Huckabee over John McCain, told me that she had grown tired of the negative campaigning that had ramped up in the final week; Friday night after seeing a movie, the Dorsetts found a flier on their car blasting McCain, something that almost caused her to reconsider her vote, she said.
— Sean P. Flynn
January 19 2008, 9:33 am
First Responders
As if on cue, seven cars rolled into the Spartanburg High School parking lot promptly at 7 a.m. for the beginning of the end of what has seemed at times to be an endless presidential campaign.
It was cold and still dark—and also, importantly, still dry—but these hardy souls were determined to make their voice heard first.
First to cast a ballot was Kris Neely, who said he was an independent who decided Friday to vote in the Republican primary the next morning. He declined to say who he voted for, but said the decision had been more about not voting for a specific candidate.
“I just know we’re predicted to have some bad weather,” Neely said. “I also felt pretty passionately voting against somebody. I felt like I heard from a candidate yesterday who needed not to win…. This morning I woke up and did what I have to do.”
Bert and Clare Rolander later came out after casting their votes for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Bert, a former FBI agent, and his wife said they have tried to be among the first voters throughout the past 20 years. “You don’t have to wait in line,” Bert said.
Bert, like Neely, made up his mind the prior evening, after some long soul-searching.
“It’s been a very confusing pre-election period,” he said. “I voted for the man I thought would be the most logical one to the broad spectrum of voters in the United States.”
The Rolanders said they weren’t too sad to see the election season go away. In the last week they had received about 25 campaign phone calls, some from real people, some from automated systems. By the end, Bert said he could no longer be polite.
“So many phone calls,” he said. “Yesterday I was absolutely rude to a few of them, because I was so annoyed by the constant phone calls.”
“We’ve never had that happen before,” Clare Rolander said.
— Sean P. Flynn
Fliers at apartment complex attack McCain
Saturday morning at the Riverwind Apartments on Heywood Avenue, the cars in the parking lot were greeted with fliers, featuring a Mike Huckabee logo and the title “DO NOT VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN”
The leaflet, which includes a Mike Hucakbee logo (as well as a miniscule advisory that it was “not paid for or endorsed by Mike Huckabee for President”), accused McCain of granting amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens; of thinking gay marriage should be allowed; of being in favor of some abortions; and voting against the tax cuts.
The flier notes, in response to each comment about McCain, that Huckabee will secure the borders; is in favor of constitutional amendments defining marriage and banning abortion; and lowered taxes 94 times as Arkansas governor.
On that note, my e-mail inbox this morning had a message that simply stated that John McCain will turn 72 on Aug. 29, 2008, and that if he served two terms he’d be 80 when he left office. “The stress of the Presidency ages those in office at an accelerated rate,” according to the e-mail. “Mental alertness starts a downward slide at 72 years of age.”
There have been some reports of this type of attack campaigning against McCain this year, and it was something that dogged him in 2000, when he lost to George W. Bush. It will be interesting to see what affect that has this year.
— Sean P. Flynn