'Slow but Steady': One-in-Four Belmont Voters Likely to Cast Ballot

Belmont's Mitt and Ann Romney voted this morning at their home precinct, number 3, located at the Beech Street Center during the state's Party Primary election taking place today, Thursday, Sept. 6.

Well, the ballots of the Presidential candidate and his spouse were counted by Precinct Captain Maryann Scali, who runs the location with an iron will.

The Romney's votes where entered into the voting readers first thing in the morning with the rest of the 50 absentee ballots that arrived from the Town Clerk's office.

"No, no Secret Service with their bullet-proof vests," said Scali, showing with her hands just how big they are. Unlike this past winter's state Presidential primary, Romney decided to skip coming to Belmont to vote.

Voters heading to the Beech Street Center were relieved to find that voting at Precinct 3 and 5 was a breeze with hardly any lines to wait in. By 3:45 p.m., just about 250 voters had cast ballots in 3 and 245 in 5.

All over town, most precincts were going to pass the 15 percent mark – about 300 voters – by 5 p.m., with a chance that the town could see voter participation reach 25 percent when polls close at 8 p.m.

In Town Hall, Precinct 2 had 257 voters by 4 p.m. while the always politically active voters in Precinct 1 – home of former State Rep Anne Paulsen who is working hard pushing the campaign of Belmont's Margaret Hegarty, one of three candidates vying to replace Will Brownsberger as state representative for the 24th Middlesex District up on Beacon Hill – pushed the number of voters near the 350 mark at the Belmont Public Library.

At Precinct 6 located at Belmont Fire Department headquarters, Precinct Captain and former Town Treasurer Ernie Fay called the election "a quiet day" for the poll workers.

By 3:30 p.m., the precinct had processed 279 voters, just about 14 percent of eligible voters in the home precinct of Bobby Reardon, the second Belmont resident running for the Brownsberger seat. Also in the race is Cambridge attorney Dave Rogers.

"And this will be nothing compared to November (when the general election takes place with Romney on the ballot) when we'll get 80 percent. Everyone here at 7 a.m. (when polls open) will have to 'hurry up and wait'," said Fay.

Over at Town Hall, Ellen Cushman, the town clerk, said her office was "busy" as many voters discovered that they were identified as "inactive voters" – most likely for not turning in the town's census – and attempting to rectify the matter.

"This is actually a good thing because they will be up-to-date in November when we are expecting a very large turnout," said Cushman. It might even include a Romney sighting.