Voters express passion over political ads, judicial retention

Brian Conway, 48, celebrated the end of the political advertising season Tuesday afternoon as he voted at Erskine Elementary School in Cedar Rapids.

“I think they discourage people from voting, because they're filled with misinformation and lies, on both sides,” Conway said. “It's ridiculous.”

Conway said the political ads didn't influence his decisions at the poll. He declined to reveal which candidates he picked but voiced frustration over the political culture.

“I'm so sick of everybody blaming everybody else and no one standing up and saying, ‘We need to put our partisan feelings aside and do something,'” Conway said. “Nobody's saying that, except the President, but so does every other President.”

Conway said he'd already gotten six phone calls reminding him to vote today.

“That's probably the peril of being a registered independent,” he said.

Barb Hazelton, 53, voted Tuesday morning at Oakland Church of The Nazarene. She supports Branstad for governor, but said she expects it to come down to the wire.

“With the economy the way it is, I think people are questioning which guy is right,” Hazelton said.

Many voters who spoke to The Gazette declined to share their feelings on judicial retention. But Cindy Marsh, 62, had a strong opinion. She said Iowa Supreme Court justices Marsha Ternus, David Baker and Michael Streit should be retained.

She said all three have a good record of making good judicial decisions.

“I'm proud to be an Iowan that we came forward on equality for all,” Marsh said. “You can love who you want to love. It will be a horrible, horrible day if they aren't retained, in my opinion.”

11 A.M. Turnout Numbers

More than 10 percent of registered Linn County voters went to the polls in the first four hours on Election Day.

Turnout numbers released by the auditor's office show 16,029 out of the nearly 148,000 registered voters cast their ballots Tuesday morning. Around 25,000 absentee ballots were issued.

The 11 a.m. numbers are down from the last mid-term election in 2006, when 13.87 percent voted in the first four hours.

In Cedar Rapids, precinct 19 at Immanuel Baptist Church had the highest turnout percentage, at just more than 18 percent. The precinct with the most morning voters was Oakland Church of The Nazarene with 470.

MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS, BUT EASILY FIXED

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said a few voting machines have malfunctioned on this Election Day, as predicted, but turnout has been strong.

Miller said ballots had been rejected by some machines, including one at Taylor Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, and were going to be replaced. He said the memory card in the machine will remain the same, so no votes will need to be recounted.

“We've had three or four, and we may have three or four more,” Miller said. “We typically have some, and that's why we have spares.”

Miller said the ultra-sensitive machines were tested before they were used Tuesday. He suspected temperature and humidity changes as the cause for the malfunctions.

Miller visited Washington High School, Bethany Lutheran Church, First Lutheran Church, and the African American Museum of Iowa before stopping at Taylor. He estimated that final turnout numbers would be around 65 to 70 percent.

“I think we're going to have a great turnout, just based on my anecdotal view of some of the lower-performing precincts,” Miller said.

TWO VOTES PER MINUTE IN EARLY-MORNING TURNOUT

Through the first two hours of voting at Oakland Church of The Nazarene, voters cast an average of two ballots per minute.

One of the early voters had a personal connection to gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad. Jami Donithan, 46, was a page for Branstad when she was a senior in high school and said Branstad still keeps in touch with her family. She said Branstad is “an awesome person and a family guy.”

“I think he'll pull us out of debt and he'll create jobs without raising taxes,” Donithan said. “Taxes are a big thing around here.”

Alan Evan-Schwartz, 60, voted instead for incumbent Chet Culver, who is seeking re-election after his first term.

“I think he's done a great job under very difficult economic and other conditions,” Evan-Schwartz said. “I don't want to go back to the past. I have a memory.”

Richard and Jeanne Chelikowsky, both 71, voted together Tuesday, as they do most every year. The couple said they discuss the candidates at home before they come to the polls.

This year, the race they debated most was for U.S. Representative, where Mariannette Miller-Meeks is challenging incumbent Dave Loebsack. In the end, they both picked Miller-Meeks, a Republican.

“We typically vote Republican, but this year, we think there are some Democrats who are doing a fine job,” Richard Chelikowsky said.

VOTERS IN LINE EARLY THIS MORNING

A line of early-morning voters curled around just inside the door at Oakland Church of the Nazarene in Cedar Rapids early today.

About two dozen people were waiting when the polls opened at 7 a.m. Longtime precinct chairwoman Dorothy Evans said some arrived an hour early.

“We had to put up extra voting places,” Evans said. “We thought six would do it, but absolutely not.”

At one point, two men were filling out their ballots on a kitchen counter, near home-made cookies.

Evans said Precinct 23 is full of loyal voters, and she was expecting a solid turnout.

Paul Williams, 52, was one of the first people to cast his ballot. He votes early every year, before work.

“I think it's important for everybody to vote,” Williams said. “We're fortunate that we live in a place where we can select our leaders. I think people ought to exercise that right.”

The polls will be open until 9 p.m. tonight.

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