Some political candidates’ supporters are bound to be disappointed Tuesday evening, but they all seemed to be having fun Tuesday afternoon.
On the East End of the Big Island, on King Street in Christiansted at the Florence Williams Library, Alicia ‘Chucky’ Hansen supporters were in the street swaying, showing with both hands how to “puuuuusssssssh” the button for their candidate. In her campaign ads on the radio Hansen yelled “push number 12 for Chucky.” (To see video of today’s voting, click here.)
Just a mile away a large number of supporters of both gubernatorial candidates lined the road in front of Juanita Gardine Elementary School, singing and gesturing at vehicles going by trying to incite support for their candidate. The scene was no different at Elena Christian Junior High School in Princess as supporters were lined from one end of the schoolyard to the other.
All this hubbub was lost on one voter though.
“Does this really change anyone’s mind?” said retired police officer Gary Kaller. “ I would think that people already know who they are voting for before they head to the polls.”
The traffic in front of Juanita Gardine was bumper to bumper, making it tough to turn in to cast votes. At 2 p.m. the line of voters was getting long, and the wait to vote was around 10 minutes.
“The turnout today has been very heavy,” Election System judge Jasmine John said. “No breaks – it’s been a constant crowd.” Elaine Springer, another judge, said the electricity went out, but the back-up batteries on the voting booths kicked in, and voting continued without interruption.
Toward the center of the island, at 2:30 p.m. the line of waiting voters trailed about 20 feet out of the door of Charles H. Emanuel Elementary.
“It’s been very busy,” said Corliss Nathaniel, a longtime election judge who was working at Emanuel Tuesday. “If it is like 2006, I think a lot of voters will come late, after work, before the polls close, so I think it will be real hectic for the last couple of hours.”
Like every polling place on St. Croix, a boisterous crowd full of supporters of many candidates waved signs, cheered and honked their horns out front. R’Shayla Lubrin, a 17-year-old student at St. Croix Educational Complex was across the street from the school with several cousins to support James and Jimi Weber for Senate.
“Neville James all the way,” Lubrin said. “He has good points about helping us, the people of St. Croix.”
Next to Lubrin stood her cousin Karisse Felix, also a Complex student. “Jimi’s the man,” said Felix. “He supports programs and jobs for the youth.”
Across the street, Edwin Callwood of St. Croix was wearing a Weber T-shirt as he cooked and grilled up a massive feast of kallaloo, roast fish, steak, baked potatoes, butter conch and whole spiny lobster. He supported Weber, but spoke mostly of gubernatorial candidate Ken Mapp.
“Mapp is a new beginning,” said Callwood. “He has the real financial experience, and I’m sure he will bring us back to where we need to be.” Callwood said he has been a personal friend of Mapp for many years and regards him as a man of integrity.
A few feet over, a group of deJongh supporters waved signs.
“As a Christian and a Cruzan, I support deJongh,” said Juan Cruz, a 20-year-old native Crucian of Puerto Rican heritage. “We have had good governance with deJongh these last four years, much better than the governments before him where his opponent played a part.”
Delegate Donna Christensen dropped by Charles H. Emanuel in the early afternoon, chatting with supporters of all the candidates. A Mapp supporter tried to get her to weigh in on whether Mapp or Gov. John deJongh Jr. was going to win the gubernatorial race.
“DeJongh is done. He’s out,” the man said.
“On St. Croix, maybe,” Christensen replied. “But across the territory it is going to be a close election.”
On the west side it was a different story at mid-afternoon. Voting had started with a bang at the Claude O. Markoe Elementary School, with heavy lines first thing in the morning. But by 3 p.m. it had dropped off to almost nothing. Inside, one woman was voting, and another came in as she left.
Precinct judge Alda M. Francis said interest didn’t seem to be as high as four years ago.
"I don’t know if it’s this part of the island, or this year or what," she said, saying turnout seemed to be off. But she was hoping for a big final push at around 5 p.m. when people got off work and realized the election was all but over.
If things were quiet inside, outside was as lively as anywhere on the island, with supporters for most of the candidates lining the streets, waving signs and calling on passing motorists to honk for their candidates. Music poured from loudspeakers set up on the school lawn, audible blocks away. But all the campaign workers made sure to stay on the street side of the yellow tape that had been strung up. Beyond that point, electioneering was not allowed.
Frances Vazquez said she had been at the school since around 6 a.m. drumming up support for Sen. Nellie Rivera-O’Reilly. The cab driver hasn’t missed an election in 34 years, she said.
"It’s my right to make my best choice for this island," she said. Asked what she’d tell someone who didn’t think voting was worth their trouble, Vazquez replied, "Without you we cannot determine clearly who is the best person to govern the island."
She said her main issues for sizing up candidates this year were crime, education, and the economy.