Election Day 2020 live Long lines in Swanzey

Nov. 3--It's Election Day 2020! We'll be posting scenes from what's happening at local polls today.

Voters in Swanzey report long waits

Updated 1:20 p.m.

SWANZEY -- Voters here have been waiting for more than an hour to cast their ballots, forming a line that circles the parking lot at the town's sole polling location.

Town Moderator Bruce Tatro said high Election Day turnout -- in addition to the more than 1,000 absentee ballots that were already cast -- is causing the long line outside the Christian Life Fellowship Church. There have been no procedural problems, he added.

Denise Sargent, 63, was pleased about the turnout, calling the Trump presidency a "wake-up call" for many people.

"I expected a long line, but nothing like this," she said.

Sargent planned to listen to a podcast about the brain while waiting in line. She said she would vote for Joe Biden and down-ballot Democrats once inside.

"I think we need to leave a better planet for our grandchildren and future generations," she said. "I hope we can get back to being decent human beings."

-- Caleb Symons

Wary of mail, some Keene residents make sure to vote in person

Updated 12:10 p.m.

Though all New Hampshire residents had the option to cast absentee ballots this year due to COVID-19, many voters still showed up at the polls at Keene's Ward 2 on Tuesday.

One was Brady Hird, 25, who said he "really wasn't trusting of the mail."

He said this year's presidential race -- in which he voted for Democratic candidate Joe Biden -- is too important to risk his vote not being counted.

"I really am not thinking of my safety today, I'm thinking of the greater good," he said, noting that he felt safe at the polling place, the Keene Recreation Center.

Tamar Tietelman, 27, echoed Hird and said she was worried her ballot would get lost in the mail if she voted absentee.

"I just felt it was the safer choice for my vote to get cast if I did it in person," said Tietelman, who also voted for Biden.

-- Olivia Belanger

For Winchester college student, a 'perfect time' to help at the polls

Updated 11:45 a.m.

WINCHESTER -- Conor Hill, 19, volunteered as a poll worker in Winchester for the September primary, and decided to return for Tuesday's general election.

"I like to see the process go smoothly," he said. "I'm happy to help my town out."

Hill, a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire studying political science and anthropology, added that he is especially glad to help during the COVID-19 pandemic, when older volunteers, who typically staff the polls, might not feel comfortable interacting with lots of people.

"That's a huge part of it for me, definitely," he said. "My age group's got to learn how to do this stuff in these smaller towns, where the infrastructure isn't the same as more urban areas across the country.

"So it's good for people who are young and home, like learning remote -- I would say this is a perfect time to get out there and volunteer and help the democratic process out when it needs it the most."

Hill, who is taking his classes remotely this semester, was processing absentee ballots in Winchester around 11 a.m. Town Moderator Denis Murphy II said Winchester had about 600 absentee ballots, more than double the 250 absentee voters in the 2016 general election.

-- Jack Rooney

Kuster campaigns in Keene

Updated 11:30 a.m.

A family trip to the polls in Hinsdale

Updated 11 a.m.

HINSDALE -- Bethany Warden and her husband, Jason, brought their 4-year-old daughter Lily to the polls for the first time ever Tuesday morning, in part because Bethany believes this is a historic election. "But also [because] there's no one else to watch her," she said.

Bethany, 34, is a cook at Hinsdale Elementary School, and said issues of racial justice and reproductive rights are among her top priorities in this election.

"I need to think about the type of future for everyone's children," she said.

Warden declined to say which presidential candidate she chose, but said she voted for Gov. Chris Sununu because "I think he handled this whole crazy situation very well," referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.

-- Jack Rooney

Absentee votes way up in Stoddard

Updated 10:30 a.m.

STODDARD -- More than 100 people had voted in Stoddard as of 10 a.m., according to Town Moderator Dan Eaton. The town processed more than 200 absentee ballots last night and expects several more to arrive today -- together, about a ten-fold increase in absentee voting from previous years, said Eaton, who's also a Democratic state representative.

But Christine Sears, 60, cast her ballot this morning at Stoddard Town Hall, explaining that she doesn't trust absentee voting. Sears said she voted for only Republican candidates, including President Donald Trump and Gov. Chris Sununu.

"I just like his demeanor," she said of Sununu. "He's level-headed, and I appreciate that."

-- Caleb Symons

Keene voters line up early to vote

Updated 10 a.m.

This was the scene at the Keene Ward 3 polls at Keene Middle School, about 5 minutes before they opened, courtesy of Laura Carbonneau. She reports it took about 10 minutes to get in once the doors opened, and then 5-10 minutes waiting for a ballot.

It was a similar scene at Keene's Ward 4 polling place. Shortly before polls opened at 8 a.m., a line of voters snaked all the way around Symonds School, Aaron Lipsky, who was there photographing for The Sentinel, reported.

-- Sentinel staff

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