Voter turnout 'phenomenal' in Franklin County

November 05, 2008|By DON AINES

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Voters were turning out in large numbers Tuesday in Franklin County to vote for the next president of the United States, along with other state and congressional races.

The 500th person cast his vote in Guilford 1 by 9:34 a.m. at the Guilford 1 polling place in the Falling Spring Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where another 80 or more people were standing in line. The precinct has 2,940 registered voters, said Judge of Elections Rhoda Duke.

"It's been phenomenal. I was clear around the building before 7 a.m.," Duke said of the line at the time the polls opened.

"They were lined up around the building" at 7 a.m., said Janet Friend, the judge of elections at the West Side Brethren In Christ Church where Hamilton 1 voters were formed into two lines, A through L and M through Z. Just before 10 a.m. about 450 people had voted out of 2,286 registered.

"It went very well because they divided up the line," voter Janet Johnson. She had to wait in line for about 20 minutes, she said.

Greene 4 voters went to the Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Co. social hall to vote where it was taking about half an hour to get through the line. During that time, between 10:30 and 11 a.m., there were consistently 50 to 60 people in line.

"They were out there at 6 a.m. when we came," said Greene 4 Judge of Elections Peggy Reily. She estimated 30 people were linecd up to vote an hour before the polls opened and almost 500 of the 1,996 registered voters in the precinct had cast ballots at of 11 a.m.

In addition to the choice between Republican presidential nominee John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, voters were also choosing between incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-9th, and Democratic challenger Tony Barr. Republican Richard Alloway II is running against Democrat Bruce Tushingham for the 33rd District state Senate of retiring Sen. Terry Punt.

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