The polling station at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains.
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ResultsFebruary 07, 2008
By mid-morning the rush of pre-work voters had slowed to a trickle, but evidence of the higher than normal turnout was visible in the bunches of pink and blue pieces of paper impaled on hooks outside each voting booth.
At Union Catholic High School on Martine Avenue in Scotch Plains, an election worker grinned when asked for her impression of the turnout for Super Tuesday, when voters in New Jersey and 23 other states would cast their ballots for presidential nominees.
“You can see who’s been coming,” she said, pointing to the far larger collection of pink slips. “This is Democratic country.”
She and her colleagues had already been at their posts at the school for five hours, since 6 a.m. “It’s really quiet now,” she said, “but when we came this morning, there were already people arriving to vote. There were definitely more than you usually see for a primary.”
In the streets around the county, without the forest of campaign posters that bloom around general election time, there was little visual evidence of which candidates local voters were supporting. More Ron Paul signs were up than any others, followed by a smattering of John McCain placards, and here and there the rising sun design of Barack Obama signs. A quick survey turned up no Hillary signs — though in conversation at polling stations, more voters mentioned her than any other candidate.
At the Green Lane Y in Union, where people chatting outside the voting room said usually they have a higher turnout of Republican voters, the pink bunches seemed to be outsizing the blue ones. “The Democrats are just more worked up about this election than the Republicans,” a volunteer suggested.
Staff members of the YM-YWHA of Union County were at work extra early that morning, to re-arrange regular programs in order to accommodate the voting. They also held a bake sale to take advantage of all the extra people passing through the hallways.
Elizabeth residents Lee Bertiger and Aaron Ketner, both staff members at the Green Lane Y in Union, watched voters coming to the polling station there.
Aaron Ketner, the Y’s director of membership and information systems, and Lee Bertiger, the early childhood director, both live in Elizabeth and said they would have to vote after work at the stations closer to home, but they were observing the passing parade with curiosity.
“I’m still not sure who I’m going to vote for,” Ketner said. “I still haven’t decided.”
Bertiger had an extra consideration to digest — an instruction from her 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, a health sciences student at the Union County Magnet High School. She had told her mother the night before to think very carefully about universal health care and who would be more likely to handle the issue well.
“I think it’s great that they’re getting the kids to think about these things,” Bertiger said, “but I don’t know who to choose. I don’t think I’ll know until I actually vote.”
“Well, at least, after today, we’ll know who the candidates are going to be,” one woman said as she left the Y.
“Not necessarily,” her companion said. “If it’s really close, we might not know for months.” It was her first time voting, and she said she felt good about it. “I voted for Hillary,” she said with a big smile.
Results
For complete election coverage from a Jewish perspective, see elections.jta.org/blog.