Election Day Reports

4:50 p.m.

Elections supervisor reports handful of problems

At least a half-dozen voters at a University of Florida polling place faced problems because of incomplete registrations, according to Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter.

She said the voters, who were expecting to vote at the Harn Museum of Art, were offered provisional ballots. Officials have until Thursday at 5 p.m. to decide whether the ballots can be counted.

Carpenter said members of the Florida PIRG, which had been registering students to vote on the UF campus, reported some of those students did not appear on voting rolls.

But she said the group last week reported the same thing, which turned out to be an error in the group’s records rather than a problem with registrations

She said her office is still investigating the latest information.

– Nathan Crabbe

Staff writer

4:30 p.m.

Sheriff's Office reports few voting complaints

Only two election-related incidents have been reported to dispatchers as of late Tuesday afternoon, said Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Steve Maynard.

Officials were contacted about complaints that people supporting a presidential candidate had violated the 100-foot buffer zone at the Hawthorne polling place. The complaint was reslved without officers, Maynard said. He didn't know what presidential candidate those involved were supporting.

A man also called officers to report he had been heckled about the election but wouldn’t provide any additional details about his complaint.

“It’s been extremely quiet, knock on wood,” Maynard said about election-related complaints received by the Sheriff’s Office.

– Lise Fisher

Staff writer

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4:20 p.m.

Text message gives wrong voting information

A text message is circulating that gives false information about the election, according to a spokesman for the Obama campaign.

The text message incorrectly says that because of long lines, voting will continue tomorrow. Local Obama spokesman Patrick Kavanaugh said at least one of the campaign’s volunteers has received the message.

– Nathan Crabbe

Staff writer

3:20 p.m. SW 20th Avenue Annexation

Precinct 36 at the end of SW 20th Avenue is a high profile location for city of Gainesville employees as they encourage residents in that area to become part of the city.

Holding large “close the gap” signs, the directors of strategic planning, risk management and administrative services for Gainesville all were encouraging students to vote yes on annexation.

Several Gainesville police officers were there as well, out of uniform, of course.

Becky Rountree, the director of administrative services, said they ended up helping many first time voters find where they were supposed to go in the Doyle Conner Building on SW 34th Street.

“We did some door to door campaigning last week,” Rountree said. “A lot of people had already voted, but I think it was helpful.”

Voluntary annexation into the city of Gainesville limits will require a majority vote from those who live in the area surrounding SW 20th Avenue west of SW 34th Street and east of Interstate 75.

A similar voluntary annexation was denied in 2003.

Because the area in question is almost entirely student housing, the city approached the annexation campaign with a more youthful campaign.

Stacie Moss, 20, who lives in The Estates, 3527 SW 20th Ave., said she heard about the annexation through a Facebook message.

“I voted for it,” Moss said who is a sociology major at the University of Florida. “I only know a little bit about it, but I know The Estates is not included in some of the things the rest of the city is.”

Also present was Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan who was wearing a t-shirt supporting democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama underneath a leather coat and holding a sign for the Wild Spaces and Public Places sales tax initiative.

“I was out at an eastside polling precinct this morning,” Hanrahan said. “It was so emotional – young African American men voting for the first time. I wore water proof mascara.”

Hanrahan said there she also held a sign supporting Alachua County Commission candidate Rodney Long at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.

– Megan Rolland

Sun staff writer

3:00 p.m.

UF student reports registration problem

Some University of Florida students have faced registration problems that impeded their ability to vote.

Cassidy Mirabito, 20, said she registered to vote on campus a few months ago. But when she went to her polling place today at the Harn Museum of Art, she was told her registration was incomplete and she would be unable to vote.

“I’m angry because it is the first time that I actually get to vote,” she said.

Because she moved here from Kentucky, she said voting officials were unable to change her address to allow her to vote. She said she came to vote at 1 p.m. and by the time she left a half-hour later, about 25 students were lined up dealing with registration problems.

Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter said she was unaware if the problems were widespread and would be looking into the issue.

– Nathan Crabbe

Staff writer

2 p.m. No lines

Newberry Road in northwest Gainesville is dotted with churches, many of them serving as polling places. A quick survey at 2 p.m. revealed that would-be voters could walk right in at any of them. No lines. In fact, the only noticeable line in a five-mile stretch was a group of moms and grandmothers gathered at NW 107th Terrace, waiting for the school bus to drop their kids off.

-- Diane Chun

1:50 p.m.

Smooth voting a relief to most voters

Tameika Comerie said she was glad there were no lines when she went to vote Tuesday around noon. She said it took her about 10 minutes to vote, which she did on her way to work.

She said she talked to her family in Palm Beach, who told her they had to wait two hours to vote Tuesday.

Travis Leo, 21, voted for the first time Tuesday also on his way to work. He said voting was crucial because of the economy. He said he checked out the candidates' credentials, boned up on the issues and was happy to take part in the process. He has friends on University of Florida campus who car-pooled to the polls.

Leo kept hinting on who he had voted for, and when prompted, said he was an Obama supporter.

Scott Larson said he hoped "there was no weird stuff today. This is a very important election." He said he didn't want any controversy and hoped things went smoothly and there is no speculation over who the winner is once the polls close.

"This election has opened a lot of doors with a woman running for vice president and an African American running for president," said Larson. "It's important to see that (diversity) in day-to-day life where everyone feels like they are on equal footing."

Idella Henderson, 39, says this is her first time voting. She said she had been scared before but after voting this morning, she felt very confident. She said her husband encouraged her to vote. It didn't take long and she felt good afterwards.

Then there was the donut lady, Mary Lou Wilkerson, a poll worker at the Cornerstone precinct for about five years. She said this was the most voter turnout she has seen in her time as a volunteer.

Then she gave the photographer a donut.

– Harriet Daniels

Staff Writer

1:40 p.m.

Polling places busy, but no lines

Voters were greeted by lines at polling places this morning, but they seemed to have dissipated at mid-day.

“It seems to have leveled off a little bit,” said Pam Carpenter, Alachua County Supervisor of Elections. “They’re still busy but no lines.”

Outside the Tower Road Library, an Obama supporter held a sign reading “No line, vote now” around 11:30 a.m.

At the University of Florida’s Reitz Union, observers reported long lines in the early morning hours. By noon, a steady stream of students was faced with just a short wait.

– Nathan Crabbe

Staff writer

1 p.m.

Long lines start early at UF

Jessica Sneed thought she’d beat the crowds by heading to her polling place at 6 a.m., an hour before it opened.

Instead, she found people already lining up at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Florida campus. By 6:30, she said, the line wrapped around the roundabout in front of the center.

Sneed, 20, said she was voting for the first time. She said she was able to cast her ballot by 7:25 a.m., finding it breezy but otherwise enjoyable to vote in the early morning.

“Everyone was pretty excited for it being 6 in the morning,” she said.

– Nathan Crabbe

Staff writer

12:15 p.m.

New voters inspired to participate

Joe Pierce, from Micanopy, voted for president for the very first time today. He and a friend arrived at the Micanopy Town Hall at 7:15 a.m., at which time the lines were long, said Pierce.

"Of all the elections, this was the most important one for me to participate in," said Pierce, 31, adding that he had never been interested in politics before because he had never seen how it affected him.

"Obama represents the young people," he said.

Pierce's friend, Emily Piazza, 32, said the voting process went very easily for her this morning. She said she encouraged all her friends to vote. "I didn't want to see the election turn out like it did in 2000," said Piazza, who said she voted for Barack Obama.

Ron Verni voted early after hearing Michelle Obama in Gainesville urge people to take advantage of early voting. He was holding an Obama sign a distance away Precinct 10 in Micanopy.

He said he hoped to see a change with this election. "It's almost like the Berlin Wall coming down."

Meanwhile, Michael Roberts and his wife Cheryl were manning a billboard-sized McCain-Palin sign that was propped against the Roberts' truck in Micanopy, where they described voting as steady all morning Tuesday. Michael said he voted at about 8 a.m and the process took about three to four minutes. Cheryl voted an hour and a half later and said there were about four times as many people at the Micanopy Town Hall than when her husband was there.

Cheryl Roberts said some people were briefly turned away but poll workers were able to verify their poll location and were called them back.

Several people said having the sample ballot helped make the voting process easier.

– Harriet Daniels

Staff Writer

12:00 p.m. Voting on campus

Voting precincts 44 and 54 saw an ongoing stream of mostly students. Outside the polling locations people from Obama's legal team were ready to answer voter questions. They held up signs that said, "Voting rights questions? Ask Me."

Outside of precinct 54, the Harn Museum, I saw more intense lobbying. One young man approached me to discuss Amendment 2 and an older gentleman handed me a "sample ballot" that confused me momentarily because of the lack of choices it offered until I realized that it was partisan. It reminded me a little bit of the Metallica song, "Eye of the beholder."

Inside precinct 44, The Phillips Performing Arts Center, people were directed to another room to vote while others waited in line for assistance. Of those needing assistance the majority were for address changes although there were quite a few people that claimed they were registered to vote but were not found on the precinct list. Those people were being assisted by the clerks when I left.

– Sarah Urriste

10:20 a.m.

Some businesses are honoring Election Day with free food and drinks, from ice cream to martinis.

Ben & Jerry’s, Krispy Kreme, and Starbucks will be giving away free items Tuesday.

“Ben & Jerry’s wants to celebrate democracy by giving you a free scoop of ice cream,” the company’s Web site says. Free scoops will be available at participating stores from 5 to 8 p.m.

Starbucks publicized their giveaway of a tall cup of brewed coffee with an ad that first aired during NBC’s Saturday Night Live, according to the news reports.

The doughnuts at Krispy Kreme in Gainesville were “flying” early Tuesday, according to an employee. The local store isn’t offering the star-shaped doughnuts, touted on national ads, but is giving away a glazed or sprinkled glazed doughnut to people with a sticker showing they’ve voted.

And the Swamp Restaurant on University Avenue will be giving away drinks. People with their "I voted" stickers and old enough to legally drink alcohol can get a draft beer or a premium martini, the business reported.

One store that isn’t on the list is Chick-fil-A on Archer Road.

Several hundred of the stores nationwide are giving away free sandwiches to people who show proof they have voted, a report in USA Today said. But the local business is not one of them, although the store has been receiving calls about the giveaway, an employee said Tuesday morning.

Staff report

9:53 a.m.

After reports of hours-long waits at early voting stations and predictions of Election Day log jams, I decided to take my chances and wait until Election Day to cast my votes anyway. After all, my Hawthorne precinct had never had more than three people voting at a time when I stopped in around 8:30 a.m. for the previous two elections.

This time, my trip to City Hall had what passes for a Hawthorne-style crowd. I had to park an entire six car lengths away from the first spot and stand in a line three people deep for last names beginning with A through D. Granted, it would have been longer if my name started with E through H.

After the nearly one-minute wait, all but one of the dozen or so booths were occupied, so I slipped into the last one, filled out my ballot with a few glances to my cheat sheet and slipped out – maybe a five-minute visit all told.

– Anthony Clark

9:12 a.m.

No lines were reported for precinct 27, the Thelma Boltin Activity Center at 516 NE 2nd Avenue in Gainesville, at 8:15 a.m.

– Sun Staff Report

9:00 a.m.

At Micanopy Town Hall, which is Precinct 10's polling place, Cheryl Slechta brought a plate of brownies to fortify her and some fellow Barack Obama campaign volunteers. They were standing across the street from Town Hall with signs.

"There was a small line in the morning," said Slechta. Members of "Team 9" for Obama were there as early as 6:30 a.m., a half hour before the polling place opened. Slechta said 32 percent of the precinct's 1,400 or so registered voters had voted early.

At 9 a.m. a steady stream of voters filed into the polling place. The chief election clerk declined to talk to a reporter and said, through a colleague, that journalists weren't allowed in the polling place.

In the parking lot, Mallory O'Connor of Micanopy was working a two-hour shift as a greeter for the Democratic Party. She voted before Election Day, and she's glad that the campaign will be over soon.

"It's been going on a while," she said.

– Jim Ross

8:30 a.m.

Precinct 48's polling site, The Country Inn and Suites on Archer Rd. saw long lines in the first hour of voting but by 8 a.m. those lines had cleared up.

– Nathan Crabbe

Sun Staff Writer

8:20 a.m.

There appeared to be no line and no wait to vote at The Family Church on SW 122nd Street in precinct 47 in Gainesville.

But a traffic accident was reported on the 2100 block of the same road causing blockage early Tuesday morning.

– Sun Staff Report

8:04 a.m.

Long lines expected periodically throughout the day

The line had started before 7 a.m. at the polling place at the Southwest United Methodist Church on SW Williston Road.

A line of about 10 people, gathered at 6:45 a.m., were ready to get inside and cast their ballots for presidential and area candidates.

In spite of a high early voting turnout, more than half of the almost 155,000 people registered to vote in Alachua County had not yet voted and could turn up at the polls Tuesday.

Lines are expected to be longer at the polls early in the morning, near lunchtime, later in the afternoon and again in the evening.

Polling officials were advising people to be patient and try to come to precincts at off-peak times.

– Lise Fisher

Staff writer

7:56 a.m.

Police will patrol Gainesville polling places

Gainesville Police will be monitoring polling stations around the city for any signs of problems as voters line up Tuesday.

The patrols began overnight with police also checking on the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office and headquarters for both the Democratic and Republican parties, said Lt. Steve Weaver. There were no reports of any issues at any of the locations, he said.

"The assigned officers will float from polling station to polling station looking for any signs of criminal behavior or order maintenance problems that may require law enforcement action," according to a statement from the police department.

Police also plan to increase patrols after the polls close "to ensure the safety of the election employees," the department reported.

– Lise Fisher

Staff writer

7:15 a.m.

I got to the Elk Lodge poll precinct 17C at 7:04 a.m. and was out by 7:15 a.m. There were two campaign workers in the parking lot greeting cars as they pulled in but when one of them approached a voter who was getting out of her car, a precinct volunteer asked him to step away.

There was no line as I entered with my 15-year-old daughter, who is quite excited about the election. I was greeted by Marie and Mona, poll volunteers for years and neighbors who have lived in my subdivision for as long as I've been there. I presented my ID and voter registration card (being extra careful to prove my identity) and signed my name. I waited briefly for a booth to come open as every single one was occupied. When I sat down to vote, a poll worker approached me to ask that my daughter sit a little ways behind me.

They did give her an 'I voted' sticker on our way out which she promptly slapped on the political t-shirt she was wearing under her hoodie.

Voting feels great.

– Lillian Guevara-Castro

7:09 a.m.

When polls opened at precinct 43 at 7:00 a.m., 40 people had already gathered in line outside the Grace United Methodist Church on Newberry Road in Gainesville.

Robert Hurt, a regular voter at the precinct, was first in line at 6:15 a.m.

"Usually it is much busier than this," Hurt said. "Early voting evidently made a big difference. Usually at this time, the line is backed up," he added pointing to the parking lot, "and it takes 45 minutes to get in the door."