Low turnout in Worcester so far?

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

Secretary of State William Galvin is expecting record numbers of voter turnout today, but after speaking to Lt. Governor Murray (see post below), Worcester may not be swept up in election fever.

After hearing on the radio this morning that turnout in Boston has been unusually low so far, I asked Murray if his campaign was relying on strong support in the Boston area or if they saw carrying Central and Western Massachusetts as more important.

Murray’s election day tradition

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

In 1997, when Tim Murray first ran for city council, he and some campaign aides took a mid-day break and walked down to Dell’ovo’s Kitchen for lunch. It’s now turned into something of an election day ritual for the Lt. Governor. According to him, he’s made it there every time he’s been on the ballot.

There’s been slower election days

Reporting and video by Kevin Koczwara

Leonard Kraus has been a poll worker for “seven or eight” of the nine years he has lived in Worcester. He has been the Warden at Worcester Technical High School,  the only remaining polling station located in a Worcester school, since it opened in 2006. And during his time manning the ballot box, he hasn’t witnessed too many busy presidential elections, never mind mid-term elections.

Word from a Warden

Reporting and video by Kevin Koczwara

Kimberly Stone of Ward 1 Precinct 1 from Unitarian Universalist Church Hall at 90 Holden St., Worcester was a lawyer in Worcester, but now works in Boston as a Lawyer 2 days a week. This mother of three boys has lived in Worcester for 13 years. At the time this video was taken (10:30am) there had been 459 of a possible 2,505 votes at the Hall and the crowd was still coming in.

Zion Lutheran Hall reports good turnout

Reporting and video by Kevin Koczwara

Charles Alafberg stood on across the street from Zion Lutheran Hall on Whitmarsh St. Worcester holding his candidates signs proudly. The retired steelworker  wasn’t alone as four others joined him on the corner in the cold. He was out to support his candidates in the hotly contested mid-term elections and maybe sway a voter one last time.

McGovern and wife, a team effort

Posted by Brittany Durgin

Jim McGovern and his wife published this video on social networking sites including YouTube and Jim’s Facebook page urging us all to get out and vote:

You can catch Jim and his wife Lisa casting their vote at noon today at Zion Lutheran, 41 Whitmarsh Ave in Worcester.

Rolling at Temple Emanuel

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

Word from Temple Emanuel is that voter turnout is already much better than it was in September.

As of 11:20, Ward 9 precinct 1 was at 302 votes, 9-2 had 327 and 9-3 hit 400. On pace for much better numbers than the primary.

Too early for this, but we’re doing it anyway (updated with more Andy Rooney!)

Posted by Jeremy Shulkin

The Baker camp has just sent out a release highlighting some early good news for them. While it’s always dubious to take individual campaign’s predictions and results at face value — especially when polls haven’t even been open for half a day — in this case the info is coming from Emily Rooney’s mouth, which lends it some credibility.

At the Boston Public Library she says her “unofficial exit poll” breaks for Charlie Baker 2-1. (But she doesn’t say how many she asked.)

Don’t celebrate/despair just yet. Both campaigns are looking more towards Central and Western Massachusetts to determine who’s going to take the governor’s race.