ChasElection08

Goose Creek craziness

UPDATE: Voters for Goose Creek District 2 were still in line at 9 p.m. at Goose Creek High School.

We've got some wild reports coming out of Goose Creek. Photographer Brad Nettles and reporter Jessica Johnson (who is there trying to vote: 3 hours and counting) say the line at Goose Creek High School one hour after the polls closed still has hundreds of people in it.

Yep, you read that right, hundreds, maybe upwards of 1,000. Jessica says kind souls are doling out crackers and water. Some people are throwing out radical numbers like 5 hours of waiting time.

We would love to hear from some of you Creekers. Post a comment here or send us an email at elections@postandcourier.com. if you swear a little, we understand. We'll edit it out for you.

--Janet

E-mail Roundup 2

More reports from the field:

From sports copy editor Cindy Cloutier: Just sharing my experience voting at Goose Creek High School. I arrived at 7:55 a.m. and the first order of business was finding a place to park - surely that was an indicator of the turnout. Yet I was excited to see the turnout and was prepared for 2 hours of democracy in action.

After finding the end of the line outside the building, I was encouraged to realize it was moving briskly and we moved in side by 8:30. Where tired voters with knowing looks told us to enjoy the wait. We snaked through the corridors of the high school before finding the end of the line. Hard to estimate the number of people in line, but this one wasn't moving.

Felt bad for some elderly people. Saw one extremely pregnant lady whose husband parked her in a lawnchair for her to wait while he stood. She said she was due this week and hoped to vote before giving birth. We all chuckled ... nervously. Overall people were patient and friendly. I guess we all realized this was possible and that it represented something exciting about the voter turnout. One young woman said she'd taken the day off and was going to work a Saturday instead because she was prepared to wait all day to vote.

One nervous woman finally went looking for a poll worker to explain she had an afternoon plane to catch - could she help her? They did, as they did handicapped voters without offending any of us in line. I never heard one complaint. Finally voted at 11:35 a.m. - 3 hours, 40 minutes of democracy in action. How exciting. But am now a fan of looking into early voting.

From Tim: The lines at Greater Goodwill AME were very long, but well-managed. As of 10
a.m., the wait was around 90 minutes.

--Janet

Goose Creek voting

The end of the line was deceiving at

Goose Creek

High School. It was about 20 yards from the front door but the line proceeded to wind through the parking lot like a snake. Holly Trader, of Hanahan, took a place in line at 

6 a.m. already at least 150 people behind. Doors opened at

6:45 a.m. and by 7:30 a.m. she had voted.

Trader and others expected the wait. Many brought chairs, books and umbrellas.

A young mother, who declined giving her name, pulled up at 

7 a.m. locked her baby in the car. After she got out to gather her son, the wind blew the door shut leaving her baby and keys inside.  Law enforcement officers worked for an hour trying to ease the door open, but rescue came when the mother’s stepfather arrived with another set of keys. Baby in hand she was ready to vote.

Long lines were similar all over Goose Creek. At Howe Hall Elementary the parking lot was full, so people pulled into the United Siding Specialist driveway looking for a spot. Owner Rich Patterson drove a forklift around his lot trying to make sure his entrance remained open. He said he didn’t mind if people used his lot, but he’s seen twice the number of cars as usual and wanted to make sure trucks could get in and out.Frank Miley, lined up outside Howe Hall Elementary school at 6:25 a.m., and waited two hours to cast his ballot. He snapped his fingers saying, “It was like that to vote.” It was the standing in line that took longer. During that time he managed to read 52 pages of a Ken Follet novel.

“I’m pleased that so many people are voting. This is the first time I’ve ever had to wait to vote.”

At Stratford High School, poll manager Ron Snyder said he’d seen more voters than in previous elections by 9:20 a.m.

“The number of voters has surpassed what we normally get by two-fold,” Snyder said.

There people were waiting in line about two and a half hours.

---- Jessica Johnson