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Turnout Heavy In South Shore Precincts

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By LOIS KINDLE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2008

5:24 p.m.: At Precinct 939, the Apollo Beach Community Church, poll deputy Daniel McCarthy said turnout has been very heavy today, and it's getting busier as the day goes on. He did not know exactly how many people had voted.

First-time voter Sophia Lawser, of Apollo Beach, wouldn't say who she had voted for, but she said the economy was the most important issue to her. She feels the country is in more of a crisis than ever before, and hopes the next president can help fix it.

Voter Jeff Adkins expected to wait in a long line, but he was in and out in 10 minutes. He also declined to say which candidate he supports for president, but cited the troubled economy as one of his top issues, in addition to the marriage amendment.

At the Gardenville Recreation Center in Gibsonton, the polling place for precincts 940, 942 and 956, an estimated 750 people had voted by 5 p.m., poll deputy Kathleen Yoakum said. The pace seemed to be picking up, though, as the parking lot was packed and a traffic jam had formed.

Rhett Nowotny of Gibsonton said he voted for Chuck Baldwin and Darrell Castle, who are running for president and vice president on the Constitution Party ticket.

Nowotny said he chose the minor-party candidates because they abide by the Constitution, and he feels the media have pushed John McCain and Barack Obama.

Nowotny's wife, April, took a more mainstream approach, casting her ballot for McCain. She said she didn't like Obama at all because she sees him as favoring redistribution of wealth along with gay marriage and abortion.

Twenty-one-year-old Laura Johnson, who was voting in her first presidential election, supported Obama. She said she likes his outlook and thinks he is the right person to bring about change.

Health Care Issue Motivates Summerfield Voter

Voting has been steady all day at precinct 947 in Summerfield, said Kenneth Jarvis, precinct deputy.
"We had a rush this morning and then it slowed down, but it should pick up again later in the day," he said, adding voters have been quickly processed throughout the day.

Rita Alicea of Summerfield said she voted for Obama/Biden earlier today at the precinct.

"My biggest priority is health care," she said. "I'm uninsured and I can't get any insurance; I had an accident four years ago."

Alicea said she voted no on Amendment 2; no on the community college proposition and passed on the ELAPP proposition.

All Is Quiet At Apollo Beach Polling Site

2:38 p.m.: Not much was happening over the lunch hour and early afternoon at Apollo Beach Elementary School, home of Precinct 941.

"We had a good crowd this morning," said poll clerk Harry Benter Purcell. "We've had about 400 voters so far. This area is a bedroom community, one of the quietest in Hillsborough County. We'll probably see more voters later in the day after people get off from work."

Purcell said everything was going very smoothly, with 15-minute maximum waits.

1:43 p.m. Voting at Precinct 913 at the Wimauma Civic Center slowed down a bit after a pre-workday rush hour but picked up again during the lunch hour. More than 400 people had voted by noon.

Precinct clerk Betty Chappelle said more than 350 people had voted by 11:30 a.m.
"For us, that's good," she said.

Precinct 913 is a mostly rural area with a large Hispanic population. Party affiliations are fairly split between its 2,421 registered voters: 701 Republicans, 976 Democrats and 744 independent or other.

According to poll deputy Roberta Rowe, the precinct is the largest, geographically, in the South Shore area of Hillsborough.

Helen Sarmiento is one of only a handful of Spanish-speaking poll workers.

"I've been working the polls here for almost 30 years," she said, "and I've never seen as big a turnout in the Hispanic community. Today has been great for us."

Raquel Ramos said she had no wait to vote. The Wimauma resident said she voted for Obama because she's concerned about the economy and voted no on the marriage amendment and yes on the environmental lands acquisition and protection and community college propositions.

John Katchur of Wimauma said he walked "right on in and was out in five minutes." He voted for McCain.

"I like him," Katchur said. "I think he's the better man for president, and I don't like O'Bama's positions."

He voted yes on Amendment 2.

Turnout Brisk At New Precinct In Ruskin

10 a.m.: One of the newest polling locations in South Shore reported brisk turnout little more than two hours after the polls opened today.

"We started off with around 200 voters," said Billie Fox, poll deputy for precinct 933 at the SouthShore Regional Service Center in Ruskin. "Since then we've had more than 350."

Voters said they were pleased with the process.

"Even though I had a small glitch in the paperwork, it only took a half hour," said Susan Omspacker of Apollo Beach, who had stopped by on her way to work. "Overall, I'd say it went pretty smooth."

Carrying her sample ballot in hand, Melissa Altevogt, also of Apollo Beach, had even less of a wait.
"Even with my baby, I was in and out in 11 minutes," she said.

A registered Republican, Altevogt said she voted for McCain and Palin because "Obama was not as clear about his background." She also voted yes on Amendment 2 and yes on the ELAPP proposition.

Longtime Ruskin resident Gerry Walker concurred.

"I voted for McCain-Palin because I feel more comfortable with him on all the issues, especially security," she said. She voted yes on Amendment 2 and no on the ELAPP and community college tax proposition.

Fox said the reason things were going so smoothly was due to the poll workers. "We have the professionals here today," he said. "Early voting was staffed with volunteers."

Early Risers In Sun City Center

8:15 a.m.: Seniors were out at the crack of dawn this morning to cast their votes at one of five precincts in the retirement community of Sun City Center.

Officials at Kings Point, Precinct 904, reported residents standing outside the locked clubhouse as early as 5:30 a.m. When the doors opened at 7, more than 200 voters stood waiting in line, many assisted by walkers.

At nearby Community Hall, precinct 909, between 100 and 150 seniors prepared to vote, some waiting in line and others seated outside the voting area.

Down the road at the Community Center, more than 50 people were waiting when Precinct 921 opened. Some had been there since 6:30 a.m.

Exiting voters reported the lines were moving quickly with about a 15- to 20-minute wait.

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