Not much excitement at Philadelphia area polls

Low turnout means little waiting in line to vote

As the nation is looking at a key Senatorial election in Pennsylvania today, few voters turned out this morning in Philadelphia. Some people navigated both the rain and shifting party politics.

Blame it on the rain, or blame it on the game, but turnout was lower than even the low expectations of a primary election. Kimberly Brown, a candidate for Democratic committeewoman in Germantown says voters are not well informed.

“There’s been a lot of negative campaigning, but not a lot on the issues and what’s going on.”

At this West Philadelphia coffee shop, people waited in line for their morning fix, but there wasn’t a line to vote. Ryan Godfrey voted – although he had voted many times in the past, this was his first time casting a ballot in the Spring. He registered for the first time as a Democrat during the Obama presidential campaign.

“The first primary I voted in. I registered for a party last big election and decided to try a primary vote as well.”

His ballot had five candidates for governor, a contentious senate seat, and local issues such as the abolition of the city tax assessment board. But many voters are like Joyce White, who says she only had time to be informed about one contest.

“I wasn’t as prepared as I’d like to be. I didn’t feel I could vote for all categories.”

Another voter says she doesn’t feel well enough informed because she doesn’t watch TV and never saw the candidates commercials. Other voters say they don’t know all the candidates in the crowded gubernatorial race.

Pat Warner, a Democrat had a hard time getting excited about a candidate. He voted by a process of elimination.

“I know what I don’t want, and I felt there were candidates with bad ideas. I went with the one I think will win against a Republican candidate.”

Although most of the attention – locally and nationally – has been paid to the Democratic Senate race in Pennsylvania, some Republican voters say choosing the City Republican Committee is the most important local GOP election in years.