Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Early Success (Voting That Is)

Congressman John Olver is a tad tall for the early voting booths

As of 11:35 AM today 986 Amherst registered voters out of 22,257, have taken advantage of the state's brand spanking new "early voting." 

On Monday night Town Manager Paul Bockelman told the Select Board 300 voters did their civic duty on Monday, the first day of the program.  But the challenge would be Tuesday as both Town Hall and UMass Campus Center would host early voting.

Well the results are in and Tuesday went smoothly with a little less than 300 voting in Town Hall and 280 UMass students voting in the Campus Center (although with fewer hours of operation).

Town Clerk Sandra Burgess speculates that if things continue to go at this rate between 15 and 20% of Amherst voters could cast their ballots prior to November 8th. 

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

John Olver visited our house for a political strategy session years before Congress - our Saint Bernard dog Rasty gave him fleas !! Now that's real " Back biting politics " !!!

Anonymous said...

No, no no. You are not allowed to take a photo of people voting! What's the mater with you?

Anonymous said...

It was too easy!

Anonymous said...

So, are there any candidates for Ellen Story's seat that are old enough to vote?

Walter Graff said...

In Massachusets, only ballot photography is prohibited and punishable by up to six months in jail. You ARE permitted to take photos at polling places.

DaveMB said...

I suppose I should point out that not all the people
voting at the Campus Center were students, as I was
an exception. Both early voting locations are open to
any Amherst registered voter.

It went very smoothly -- you fill out the ballot as usual
and put it in an envelope that I believe will be opened and
counted at the precinct on Election Day, just as absentee
ballots are.

Anonymous said...

Anything that makes voting easier is wrong. The fewer voters the better. If you can't get your asses out there on Nov 8th then forget about it. With a few exceptions.

Anonymous said...

Good to see Amherst making it easier for the students at UMass to vote. Instead of making it a trip with lines on election day, this is something they can do in 20 minutes between classes. Well done to everyone who made that happen.

Unlike other areas of the country who refused to put early voting stations or voting stations on election day because students tend to lean a certain way....one would say a little more blue...

Anonymous said...

"Anything that makes voting easier is wrong. The fewer voters the better. If you can't get your asses out there on Nov 8th then forget about it. With a few exceptions"

And yet we boast to the world how great America is because every eligible person has the right to a vote, even the numbskulls who write this tripe. I don't understand why you think America is great if this is how you interpret our founding documents.

Wake up! Why don't we make sure everyone who is eligible gets to the poll? Why is that such a big deal? Don't you believe in the Constitution? Are you some kind of enemy to the state? America is about giving every eligible person the vote. What does America mean to you?

I'll bet you argue about saving the 2nd amendment until you're blue in the face. Is that the only part of the Constitution you know anything about? Get some education.

Anonymous said...

Even dead people and illegal immigrants have the right to vote. DemocRAT.

Anonymous said...

There is nothing in the constitution about making sure everyone eligible gets to the polls. And our founding document excludes most people from voting. Nit-wit!