Election Day diary 2014; turnout brisk in some places

6 a.m.

- Polls open in New Jersey.

7 a.m. - Polls open in Pennsylvania.

7:10 a.m. - Norristown. Polls open, 10 minutes late, at St. Patrick's Church; poll workers late, county says.

7:20 a.m. - Warrington. Polls open 20 minutes late.

7:44 a.m. - Philadelphia Election Court convenes; a judge of election allegedly not seating minority members, according to Committee of 70.

9 a.m. - West Whiteland Fire Company, Exton. Even though state Rep. Duane Milne (R., Chester) is there in person to greet voters, turnout is light. Milne and a few poll working mill around outside, only three people were in the L-Z line, and there is no line for voters with last names that began with A-K.

"All quiet," one poll worker said.

9:15 a.m. - Committee of 70 reports over 100 calls received already from around the state, the overwhelming majority about inability to find polling places. Also several complaints about "electioneering" at polliing places.

9:40 a.m. - Burlington Township, Fourth District polling place.

Cedeirdre Freeman, 41, is a registered Democrat who used to live in Trenton. "I saw if someone doesn't care about a city, how bad things can get," she says. That's one reason she voted for Booker. "You saw what he did for a terrible city," she says about Newark. "I still think he's sincere. He fights hard. Not many people can speak for me, but he can speak for me."

Freeman, a nurse, said she didn't know who either nominee for Congress is. She votes for Belgard. "You listen to the crap they put on TV," she says. "If I hear about you taking a position and benefiting off the backs of other people, I have a problem with that." But she doesn't hear about Belgard doing that. So she votes Democrat. "I saw the difference of how families lived when Republicans were in office. Things just got worse when Republicans were in office," she said. She says she and other middle class people shouldn't have to pay more taxes while the rich don't.

"It's strange how the Republican Party used to be for people of color. Historically. But now they're not," she said.

-Michaelle Bond 9:44 a.m. - Summit Presbyterian Church in West Mount Airy.

Poll workers report a strong turnout in the first division of the 22nd Ward: 139 voters of 800 in the division had cast ballots by 9:30 .

-Chris Hepp

9:45 a.m. - Elkins Park Library in Cheltenham Township.

"In Europe we believe this is a big privilege, to vote," says GOP committee volunteer Christine Kwik, who moved here from her native Poland. "Not in the U.S."

One Democratic voter in the largely Democratic township, Abby Jarin, 66, literally struggled to get to the polls, battling the impact or a recent heart attack. That illness changed her life, she says, eating through her savings and forcing her to live mostly on Social Security.

"I am looking for someone - and I think Wolf will be it - who will care about what it's like to be on a limited income."

-Jeff Gammage 9:51 a.m. - Radnor Township Library.

About 200 of the 1,300 registered voters had cast their ballots at one precinct, said Jane Golas, majority inspector.

Most are older voters. "We don't pull the young voters for a governor's race," Golas said. She expects between a 40 to 50 percent turnout in the district that will normally draw 90 percent of voters during a presidential election.

Bob Palin, 54, casts a ballot for Corbett. The electrical contractor says he supported the Governor because of his stance on taxes and Second Amendment freedoms. They were not infringed upon during his tenure, he said. "That was a good sign."

Madeleine and Beat Schillinger vote Republican.

"We feel he (Corbett) has done a good job in the last four years," said Beat Schillinger, 69, who retired from the financial field. "He is more moderate from a tax point of view."

- Mari A. Schaefer

10:02 a.m. - East Falls.

At the Falls of Schuylkill Library, turnout has "been excellent so far, higher than it's been in a few years," says Paul Taylor, a poll worker who has been volunteering on Election Day for five years. "Voters were here ahead of the opening of the polls. It's been a nice steady stream, not overflowing at all, but good and steady."

"People seem to have a bounce in their step. A lot of times it's like they're being pushed in, but ... one elderly woman came in, she was dancing, she really was," Taylor says.

Megan Berry, a 28-year-old site management associate who is a registered Republican, votes on her way to work.

"I went with Corbett. I like what he's been doing and he's been a good head," Berry said.

Valerie Keppley-Hood, a 42-year-old registered nurse, also said she is voting for Wolf.

"I'm a Democrat; I stick with my party," she says. "School is a big issue, fracking is a big issue."

Her husband, James Hood, 64, says he has been disappointed with Corbett and hoped schools would improve under Wolf.

- Justine McDaniel

10:52 a.m. - Center City.

The Millenials are out in full force. While education appears to be the top issue for these young professionals, other issues ranged from health care to environmental sustainability.

Tom Hipper, 29, who works at Drexel University in the public health research, said that he voted for Tom Wolf because he was more "aligned" with his public health concerns.

"I see a public health infrastructure that is in dire need of funding," Hipper said, adding that the Ebola crisis has concerned him that the state is not well prepared to handle a major health crisis. "We need more preparedness."

Josh Dubin, 33, and his wife Rachael Meadows, 32, both voted for Wolf. The couple plans to have children and are concerned about school funding.

"It starts with education and continues with job," Dubin said about the needs of the city.

They both abstained form voting for either Chaka Fattah (D.) or Armond James (R.) in the U.S. House race.

- Claudia Vargas 11:12 a.m. - Swarthmore.

"For a midterm election, this is a fairly good turnout," said Mary Hasbrouck, judge of elections. By 11 a.m. The eastern polling location had more than 240 voters. The most they have ever had is 1,200, Hasbrouck said.

- Mari A. Schaefer

11:31 a.m. - Philadelphia.

The morning voting appears to go off without a hitch. The District Attorney's Office, the watchdog group Committee of Seventy and City Commissioners Office all report an uneventful start.

Election Court in Room 676 in City Hall is empty of frustrated voters at 11 a.m.

Ellen Kaplan, interim head of the Committee of Seventy, says about 170 voters had called her group with complaints by 11 a.m. The majority concerned polling place locations. As the morning wears on, there are typical number of calls about allegations of electioneering-partisans passing out compaign literture too close to polling places.

The highest profile snafu, according to the City Commissioners, is the report of a contractor's truck blocking the handicapped entrance of the North Philadelphia polling place used by Sheriff Jewell Williams.

Because of the truck, elderly and handicapped voters were having a difficult getting to the polling place, Williams said.

"I went up to the guy and was real polite," Williams says. "I had an elderly man with a brace on his leg and some other handicapped people, so I asked if the contractor could move."

The City Commisioners are notified and a court order is obtained to compel the contractor to move.

"It took about an hour," Williams says. "After the truck was moved, it was like the sea had parted. You should have seen the elderly people with walkers all coming to vote.

"I think the contractor was from out-of-town. He was not very Philadelphia friendly."

-Chris Hepp

12:01 p.m. - George Washington Carver High School, 17th and Norris streets.

Jessel Alexander, in his second year as election judge at says he is encouraged by the substantial morning turnout.

"It felt like a mid-day rush," Alexander says. "We had lines and it was a little hectic for a while."

Alexander says the polling location averages around 70 voters. By 11 a.m., they were at 45 and counting.

"We have some elderly in our neighborhood, so the weather definitely helps in bringing people to the polls," Alexander says.

Among the issues voiced by voters, Alexander says, education was first and foremost.

"In the big cities and urban areas like this, one thing on people's mind is schools," Alexander said. "Of the two candidates, the one supporting the schools is going to be a determining factor in who people are choosing."

A 33-year-old mother of three, Justina Johnson, of the 1800 block of Diamond Street, says she voted for Wolf because she didn't trust Gov. Corbett to preserve education.

"I know what I've seen from Corbett and what I saw isn't good enough for my kids' future," Johnson says.

12:25 p.m. - Mount Airy "Turnout has been high," says Robert Lambert, judge of elections at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Mount Airy. The seminary is the polling place for voters who live in the 9th Ward, 12th Division.

By noon, 202 out of the division's 795 registered voters had cast their ballot in a neighborhood where Democrats outnumber Republicans and unaffiliated voters by about 8 to 1.

Marilyn Lambert, Robert Lambert's wife and a Democratic committee person, says she had been told by workers who service voting machines around the city that "turnout was high all over."

Ted Century, 72, pulled the lever for Wolf. "My wife would have killed me if I voted for Corbett," says Century, an inventor.

-Kristin Holmes

12:28 p.m. Bensalem Township.

At a polling station at a shopping center on Knights Road, a trickle of voters turns out throughout the day. Brenda George, 64, was continuing her habit of voting Republican down the line.

"I don't like the way things have been running in the country," the waitress said. She was aware that Corbett was down in the polls, but held out hope her vote might help tip the balance in his favor.

"I hope he has a chance," she said. "I don't really know what the outcome is going to be."

-Jason Laughlin

12:56 p.m. - Tredyffrin Township Municipal Building.

Katharine Lidz, 74, votes straight Democrat. "Mostly I just dislike Corbett," Lidz, a lawyer, said. She says she doesn't know much about Wolf. "All I know is what Wolf says in his ads."

"I'm in favor of more taxes to cover what we need to pay for," Lidz says. "We can't keep cutting forever."

People were lined up to vote when the Tredyffrin Township polling place opened at 7 a.m. There was an unexpected pre-lunchtime rush at 11:15 a.m. At 12:15 p.m., there was a shout of, "We hit 500!" - almost 25 percent of registered voters - and the poll workers cheered Officials say if the pace from the morning continued into the evening, half of all registered voters in the precinct will have cast ballots.

-Michaelle Bond

1:21 p.m. Bensalem Township.

Richard Patton and Tom Brady both said they vote for Republican state Rep. Gene Digirolamo but also voted for Wolf. Both say education was the issue that drove their vote against Corbett.

"Not even a second thought to get rid of that guy," Brady, 67, says. "I don't know about what Wolf has to offer but I hope he does better than this."

His girlfriend is a teacher, Brady said.

Patton, 71, teaches at Bucks County College and before that taught in the Philadelphia school district for 39 years.

"I can sympathize with the teachers. I was there," he says of teachers in the Philadelphia district. "They have it much worse than any suburban educators."

He also says Wolf's reputation impressed him.

"He's well liked in his own home town," Patton said. "That's an important thing."

Bensalem has an ethnically diverse population, including a large south Asian population. One of those immigrants, who came to the United States in 2007, became a citizen six months ago.

"It's a secret," Gitendra Rajkogia said when asked who he voted for.

Tuesday marksthe first time the 51 year old voted in an American election.

"Every citizen has a voting right," he says. "So they chose a candidate."

He then said he had to return to work at Dunkin' Donuts. He had only a short break during which he could vote.

1:22 p.m. Philadelphia. Committee of Seventy reports that people voting for the first time in a voting division need to show ID - but non-photo IDs are also acceptable for first-time voters as well, e.g., utility bill, bank statement, paycheck.

1:32 p.m. Elkins Park.

A typically low-turnout polling place was buzzing steadily all day.

"It's like a presidential election!" says pollworker Peggy Epps. She thought Obama's visit to Philadelphia this weekend might have helped.

Judge of Elections Karin Helstrom agrees that the turnout was "very unusual" and speculates that concern for schools is motivating more people to vote.

By 1 p.m. the two wards had seen about 17 percent turnout.

-Jessica Parks

2:24 p.m. Bensalem Township, Valley Elementary School.

Those who who voted straight party include 45-year-old Christina DiIorio, who brought her 4-year-old daughter to the polls with her. DiIorio is a mother of three and has a job transcribing for court reporters.

"I wish I had done more research on this, but three kids and a job," she says.

She is a longtime Republican and voted for the GOP down the ballot, including Tom Corbett.

"Nothing has changed for my husband and I financially," she says of the Corbett administration. "We're fine with the way things are."

She mentioned gun control and taxes as issues that turn her off to Democratic candidates.

"We heard about gun laws changing with Wolf," she says.

Another voter who committed to one party was Valentin Sanchez, 57. Like many other voters, the IT manager says he hadn't paid a lot of attention to the specifics of the race, but voted Democrat.

"Because of my sympathies with the Democratic Party I always vote Democrat, he says.

-Jason Laughlin

3:15 p.m. - Ventnor Community Center.

U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo had arrived early to vote for himself in his quest for an 11th term, election workers say turnout was surprisingly brisk.

"Good and steady," said poll worker Eve Rose. She says each of the two districts in the building had recorded about 300 votes by 2 p.m., including LoBiondo, a transplant to Ventnor from his native Vineland, and his wife, Tina.

Outside the polling place, Hieu Nguyen, 43, a casino dealer at Resorts, says he is glad to vote and had done so faithfully since becoming a citizen in 1996. He says his loyalty to the Republican Party related to foreign policy, including in his native Vietnam. "It's good for me to vote," he said. "That's the way it's supposed to be."

Angie Hendrickson, 83, and her brother Anthony Tabasco, 87, voted Democratic as usual, they say. "To be honest, how I think is politicians are crooks," says Hendrickson. "If I have to trust anyone, I'll trust the Democrats over the Republicans."

- Amy S. Rosenberg,

4 p.m. - Harambe Baptist Church, Germantown.

Surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, Ceola Baldwin casts her ballot. As she comes out of the voting booth, the sizable group gathered cheered and clapped.

"You don't have no excuse for not voting!" a woman calls to the room at large, and others shouted their agreement.

That's because Baldwin has voted in every election in which she was eligible. The longtime Philadelphia resident is now 101 and says everyone should vote.

"I'm blessed to be here," Baldwin says after she voted Tuesday.

She cast her ballot for Tom Wolf for governor. "I like him and I think he could do good," she said.

Baldwin was accompanied by Wilola Lee, her granddaughter, and Art Haywood, the Democratic state Senate candidate for the Fourth District, escorted her to the polling place.

Baldwin moved to Philadelphia in 1957. She had eight children, two of whom are still living, and she has more than 25 grandchildren, between 40 and 45 great-grandchildren, about 15 great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great-grandchild, Lee said.

"I think it was the right thing to do," says Baldwin, who has cast ballots for Presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, among others. "You know, I have always voted. I have."

4 p.m. - Bensalem Township.

Linda Costanzo, judge of elections, said "we've been pretty busy," and that voters had been coming in a relatively steady stream most of the day, with spikes in the morning and at lunch.

Outside the polling place, at Cecilia Snyder Middle School, one of the county's most evenly-divided polling places, it is evident that concerns over the Philadelphia School District reached lower Bucks County. Voter Bianca Gilles-a teacher in the district-exclaims "Corbett needs to go and so does the SRC" on her way to her car.

Roy and Joanne Eisner, though, haveother concerns about education. Registered Democrats, both vote for Corbett, saying they feared Wolf would increase taxes and was too closely aligned with teachers unions.

"It did not sound very clear to me," says Roy Eisner, 57, of Wolf's proposed tax plans.

"Wolf wants to continue to tax people out of their homes," says his wife Joanne Eisner, 56.

Mark Moss, 50, voted for an entirely Republican ticket, saying, "I think Corbett did a pretty good job with Pennsylvania," and that he wasn't sure Wolf could be trusted.

5:18 p.m. Northampton Township At the Village Shires Community Center, turnout was just under 30 percent with three hours of voting left.

Kaylie Yatskowitz, 30, of Holland, said she is a Republican who voted for all Democrats this year.

"I feel like it's time for change," she said.

Yatskowitz said she was particularly impressed with Congressional candidate Kevin Strouse, praising his ads and stances on social issues like women's rights.

Susan and Jim McGee, from Holland, said they both voted for Wolf, saying they supported his stances on education and taxing the natural gas industry.

They also voted for Strouse, hoping that new members of Congress would be beneficial to President Obama.

"Can't work too well if there's a Congress who's not helping you out," Susan McGee said.

- Chris Palmer

6:07 p.m. - Towamencin municipal building.

At the Towamencin municipal building, a steady after-work crowd arriving to vote shortly before 6 p.m. were keeping workers behind the registration desk busy - too busy to chat. Linda Dedman, who had been manning a post by the door since about 2 p.m. and whose husband was here earlier in the day, said the stream of voters has been more consistent than any year she can remember during the decade she's been working the polls.

"There are some years where in the middle of the afternoon, it's just dead," Dedman said. "It hasn't been like that."

About 560 of the precinct's 1400 voters had voted by 6 p.m.

One of them, 52-year-old Patricia Romano of Towamencin, said she voted straight Democrat Tuesday, sticking with her party line, because she's "not very happy with the Corbett administration."

"I'm very hopeful that Wolf can come in and take care of the things that are important to me."

Towards the top of that list is education, said Romano, who grew up in Philly and said she city's schools have suffered from a lack of funding and are in need of attention and "a helping hand."

- Tricia Nadolny