Heading for the Polls in Solid Numbers

Michael Gramly parks his van in front of the Hurst Gallery on Plympton Street.

He’s there to deliver an order of books on tribal art to the gallery, and he’s brought along a large purple campaign sign for Shannon P. O’Brien. Gramly nods his head at the shopfront—he’s just bringing the customer what she wanted, he explains.

“The lady in the shop wanted the sign: she’s a Democrat, I’m not,” he says. “She was disturbed that the Romney people were on the corner.”

Opponents of Republican gubernatorial candidate W. Mitt Romney would be a little concerned about the scene on the corner of Plympton and Mt. Auburn Streets—right next to the Quincy House polling place.

Several students clutching red and blue “Romney for Governor” signs stand sentinel over the intersection, and the Democrats are nowhere to be found.

Ernani J. Dearaujo ’03, a board member of the Harvard Republican Club and a sign holder working the 1-3 p.m. shift, says he’s been getting a fairly positive reaction to his signs.

“Actually, we didn’t expect much support for Romney, in Cambridge of all places—but we’ve been surprised,” he says. “People don’t stop, but usually they’ll beep their horn or wave at us.”

Results from the Cambridge Election Commission, however, showed Romney lost Cambridge by a wide margin. In unoffical but complete returns, O’Brien polled 68 percent of the vote, while Romney had 22 percent.

When the opposition walks by, Dearaujo adds, the reaction is mild—at most, “people will put their thumbs down or something.”

Once his shift is over, Dearaujo says, he plans to return to his home precinct in East Boston and cast his ballot.

Outside the Science Center, Dorchester residents Helen Cantor and Jesse Alt are not as eager to head to the polling place.

Offering copies of the Socialist paper Workers’ Vanguard to passersby, the pair disparages the candidates on the ballot.

“There’s no one to vote for,” says Alt, who’s bundled in a tan sweater and jacket.

“We don’t see any choice for the working people in this election—including the Green Party,” adds the red-booted Cantor.

There is one issue that might draw them to the polling station, Cantor and Alt say.

“If we go to the polls, we vote against that chauvinist ‘English Only’ measure,” says Cantor, referring to the Question 2 measure on eliminating bilingual education.

In the meantime, Alt and Cantor return to the task at hand as students hurry by on their way to class.

“Get a revolutionary paper,” Alt calls.

At Quincy House, the foyer has been temporarily converted to Cambridge’s Ward 8, Precinct 3 polling station, manned by a half-dozen City of Cambridge election officials.

Richard Harding Sr., the precinct warden, has been working as an election official since 1979.

Harding is a social worker and he says he’s concerned about trends in turnout, especially among his fellow black voters.

“There’s too much apathy in the black community about the vote,” he says. “When my kids turn 18, before they get the keys to the car they have to register to vote. We take our voting seriously in my family.”

City Sees Healthy Turnout

The City of Cambridge as a whole saw a healthy 56 percent turnout in yesterday’s election, according to Cambridge Election Commissioner Wayne “Rusty” Drugan.

“It’s a very, very good turnout,” Drugan said. “It’s not as high as a presidential, but it’s quite remarkable.”

Total voter turnout surpassed 32,000 out of about 58,000 eligible voters, but the proportion was slightly lower in the five Harvard precincts—about 52 percent on average.

The two precincts where most of the River Houses vote saw lower figures—30 percent at Quincy House and 37 percent at the Putnam Apartments. The Gund Hall polling place, where first-year and Adams House residents vote, saw 45 percent turnout. Those figures were slightly offset by 58 percent turnout at the Quad’s two Peabody School precincts.

“They weren’t that busy,” Drugan said of the places where Harvard students vote. “Those precincts that have the largest number of dorms and students are among those that have the lowest turnout.”