Election Day Winding Down

As the polls close their doors and I bunker down in the war room to monitor election results and reminisce about my day, I can't help but be enthused about the future of Norristown. Sure, we have some pretty serious problems socially, fiscally, and even infrastructurally, but after spending a day with engaged citizens on both sides of the political divide I can't help but feel good about our chances.

Almost everyone I met today, poll workers, candidates and voters alike, seemed genuinely enthused about what they were doing. I've heard stories from other Patch editors about screaming matches between political die-hards at the polls and I felt a bit of hometown pride. Sure, it would have been nice to have a juicy fight to report on, but I'll gladly take a citizenry with a healthy respect for opposing opinions over a bunch of red-faced, narrow-minded bullies any day. Well done, Norristown.

There were a few hiccups though. The folks at in the 2-1 were working under some less-than-ideal conditions. The outside lights at Grace Lutheran are on a timer and no one from the church was on hand to change the time, so poll workers there were sitting on the stoop in the dark. Apparently this is a recurring problem with the poll there and poll workers have suggested to the county that they move the poll to the nearby fire house, but election board officials are reportedly reluctant to make West Enders cross West Airy Street to vote.

The folks at Hall were a little chilly and had to break out the space heaters and almost all of the other polling stations were jealous of the folks at who not only had free breakfast but a DJ (courtesy of WissRat Sounds) in the parking lot spinning tunes throughout the day. And you wonder why I love this town.

The only real controversy I encountered today was a rumor that a certain candidate running for a county office may have hired some non-U.S. citizens to hand out campaign flyers at the polls. According to some folks, pick-up trucks filled with people would pull up to polls and drop off and pick up and ever rotating roster of workers. It's an unsubstantiated rumor at this point, but I'll be following up with the candidate for clarification on his hiring practices.

All in all, it was a pretty pleasant day at the polls for most voters. A last-minute check of the polling station figures put the turnout tally at around 20% in Norristown on average (though some districts saw slightly better turnout than others.) I'll have final numbers up as soon as they're available.

Check back with Norristown Patch tonight for election results as they become available. If you want results a little faster, you can like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and you'll get real-time updates as we get them.