Election Day, 1997; Ridgefield, Ct. ---
Update: Vote total as of 4:00 PM: 3,825.
At 9:30 this morning, election officials had noted a "larger than usual" turnout for a municipal race. Statistics collected at Ridgefield Democrats' Operations Center showed approximately 1,750 had voted as of 10:30am, reflecting the brisk pace of morning voting.
At East Ridge Middle School, there was a steady stream of voters throughout the early morning hours. Voters seemed decided about the candidates they would support, but a fair number of people seemed uncertain about the proposed charter changes on the ballot, and were noted studying the sample ballot and asking questions of the candidates.
Rudy Marconi voted early at the old high school gym, where he was was greeted by many enthusiastic supporters. "We can't be too confident," the Democratic first selectman candidate said, "but I'm getting a very positive feeling from the voters I'm talking with at each of the polling places."
And the candidates themselves voted early. Left, Police Commission candidate George Kain chats with an election official, while daughter Grace, his Campaign Manager, ponders the outcome. Right, Mike Jones, candidate for selectman, poses outside East Ridge with Gerri Lewis (center) and wife Annie Hallinan (right)
How Does It Look?
Veteran political observers believe that Ridgefield Democrats have a very real chance of winning in every race they're contesting: First Selectman, Board of Selectman, Board of Ed. (4- and 2-yr. terms), Board of Finance, Police Commission, and P & Z. Here are the signs that are making Democratic leaders more optimistic than they're been in years:
What Now?
In spite of the positive signs, Democrats are reminding supporters that each of these key races could be very close. (Recent Ridgefield elections have been decided by as few as four votes!) They're urging their supporers to redouble their efforts in the remaining hours. Remember that in a typical local election, as many as 50% of the voters make up their minds in the last 3 days before the election! Those of you interested and informed enough to be visiting this Web site are urged to talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about the election.
Remind them to vote on Tuesday, and help them understand the issues and candidate stands. Invite them to browse this Web site, and read the candidates' positions for themselves. Let them review the news events and stories that make up the chronicle of Campaign '97.
On Election Day
Vote! Of course. Then join us here at ridgefielddems.org for Election Day coverage: late-breaking news, pictures from the polling places, and live coverage of the returns. Results will be available here as soon as the first voting machine is open and counted, probably around 8:20PM - 8:30PM Tuesday evening. We'll deploy our state-of-the-art computer and communications system to give you continuous updates while the vote count progresses, and we'll have the final unofficial totals for each contested race before you'll see them anywhere else!
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