MANCHESTER, NH – Voting at the Ward 8 polling station at Memorial High School was complicated by two things – three, if you count a tabulator malfunction.
Most notably, some voters received a ballot for the charter question that had already been filled out, an unfortunate and small-scale glitch which Ward 8 moderator Jim Gaudet attributed to human error.
“When we pulled the school charter ballots from the machine, some of them that had already been cast went back to the stock of new ballots. Obviously someone made a mistake. We’re not sure exactly how it happened, but as moderator, it’s on me. We quickly rectified the situation and distributed new ballots,” Gaudet said. “It has nothing to do with the election ballots, just the charter question ballots. It happened at the same time one of our machines was down and we had 200-300 people waiting to cast their ballots.”
Gaudet said the problem was not anything more than an honest mistake which was addressed early on and, aside from that, things went relatively smoothly, all things considered.
Absentee ballots and new registrations
In addition to that, poll workers had more than 1,550 absentee ballots to process in Ward 8, with another 100 or so in addition to those filed prior to Nov. 3.
Poll workers were processing them as efficiently as possible, which included having to cross each name off the official checklist manually. It’s a process that City Clerk Matt Normand said was likely to slow citywide results.
Another phenomenon at Ward 8, which was also seen at other polling places, was a record number of new registrations. For example, by 6 p.m. there was no waiting for registered voters who could walk directly into the gymnasium, a line of at least 75 snaked through the corridor for those who were registering to vote for the first time, or who had to make changes to their information.
Caitlin Curran, a Ward 8 volunteer who also works for the Hooksett Town Clerk’s office by day, was an invaluable resource to voters looking for guidance. She stood just inside the doors immediately separating those who were registered from those who needed to get in line.
“I’m not sure if I’m even registered,” said Bonnie Elkins, after entering the building.
Curran asked if she had a smartphone handy, which she did, and directed her to go to app.sos.nh.gov to see if she was registered in Ward 8.
After a few minutes, Elkins discovered she was all set to vote.
“I’m very excited about this, thank you,” she said to Curran, as she jumped the line and headed into the gymnasium to vote.
Curran said it was a familiar scenario that had replayed throughout the day, and she was just happy to be able to help.
Sense of urgency for new voters
Among those in line to register were Ralph Arnoux, 20, and Keenan Kerr, 21, both first-time voters.
“I’m here because of a sense of urgency,” Arnoux said. “Politics in our country is heightened and there’s frustration on both sides. I can’t just sit by and let other people vote for me. I don’t want it to be a year of regret.”
He said he felt part of a generational pivot, toward activism.
“As part of Gen Z, we’re finally old enough to be able to vote. We see a lot of things that impact us, from climate change to civil rights,” Arnoux said. “This year is the first time there were protests in every state over what’s happening in the world. It’s a huge wake-up call for us.”
Kerr agreed, adding, “Yeah, we’re all adults now. It’s time to stop the whining and take action. We’re dealing with the consequences of what’s been happening in the world and now it’s a matter of priorities.”
Outside Memorial High School was a familiar sight – sign-holders for all candidates who were corraled together in a bipartisan zone, hoping to have some last-minute sway with voters entering the building.
