Election Day 2016 in Morris County: High turnout, ballot issues, Morristown voter opinions

donald trump vs. hillary clinton
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Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton for all the marbles.
Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton for all the marbles.

By Kevin Coughlin

Election Day.  Finally.

As of late afternoon, voter turnout across Morris County was reported as “very heavy,” according to Dale Kramer, administrator of the county board of elections.

Morris County Democrats raised concerns around noontime that voters with registration discrepancies were turned away from polling places in Wharton and Boonton without being allowed to cast provisional ballots.

Kramer said her office dispatched people to those locations to remind poll workers that provisional ballots are permissible in such circumstances.

'Pantsuit Nation' gathering of Hillary Clinton supporters in Morristown on Election Day 2016. Photo courtesy of Carol Barkin
‘Pantsuit Nation’ gathering of Hillary Clinton supporters in Morristown on Election Day 2016. Photo courtesy of Carol Barkin

“Early on there was some confusion,” she said. Kramer doubts many voters were affected, however. Only one called her office to complain about getting turned away, she said.

But every vote counts, said Morris County Democratic Chairman Chip Robinson. “We think we have an excellent chance to win seats in those towns,” he said.

The only other voting issues he was aware of involved machine problems at Morris Township’s municipal building and in Wharton. Malfunctioning machines were replaced by the county, he said.

Poll workers at Morristown town hall reported morning lines stretching down a hallway.  One voter arrived at 5 a.m., an hour before the polls opened. The turnout appeared heavier than for Barack Obama’s 2008 election, according to one veteran poll worker.

‘ANTICHRIST’ OR SAVIOR?  MORRISTOWN VOTERS WEIGH IN

Although Morristown traditionally votes for Democrats–President Obama took Morristown by a 2-1 margin in 2o12–Donald Trump has some supporters here.

Tina Schaffner of Morristown thinks Donald Trump will create jobs. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Tina Schaffner of Morristown thinks Donald Trump will create jobs. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“I know he’ll get it done,” said Tina Schaffner, 48, and self-employed. She expressed concerns about border security, foreign affairs and jobs. “People worry that he doesn’t have political experience. But he knows who to line up.”

Local businessman Ben Fleisher, 63, also voted for the Republican real estate mogul.

“I just feel I want someone who will run this country like a business instead of an old-boy or old-girl network,” he said, downplaying the campaign’s volatile rhetoric.

“It’s all nonsense. Everyone know who [Clinton] is. In my opinion, there will be a quiet revolution in this country if [Trump] wins.”

William Dotterweich dislikes Donald Trump's character, but thinks he would run the U.S. like a business. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
William Dotterweich dislikes Donald Trump’s character, but thinks he would run the U.S. like a business. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

William Dotterweich, a Morristown landlord who voted for Trump in Peapack-Gladstone, said, “I don’t condone his character by any means.”

Yet he finds “the alternative less enticing. I would think it would be good to have a businessman running the country as a business.”

But the thought of Donald Trump’s finger on the nuclear button frightens Anticious Dixon, a 63-year-old retired utility lineman who voted for Hillary Clinton as the “lesser of two evils.”

Anticious Dixon of Morristown fears WWIII if Donald Trump wins the White House. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Anticious Dixon of Morristown fears WWIII if Donald Trump wins the White House. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Dixon called Trump the Antichrist, a scarier figure than Hitler because “he’s got nuclear weapons. Trump is going to lead us into a third World War if he goes into office… He’s in a fantasy world.”

Hospital worker Sandra Herrera, 44, who is an immigrant from Colombia, voted for Clinton because “she knows about politics. She has more experience.”

Viki Craig, a retired schoolteacher who runs Art in the Atrium, an annual showcase of top African American art, cast her ballot for Clinton, explaining: “A vote for Mr. Trump is not a loss for Hillary, but a loss for me.”

Viki and Lauren Craig said they voted for Hillary Clinton to preserve President Obama's legacy. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Viki and Lauren Craig said they voted for Hillary Clinton to preserve President Obama’s legacy. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Socially, Craig said, “there is too much to lose, in terms of race relations, education and jobs.” Clinton is “the person to fix what we have and to address the problems we continue to have. I respect the work she’s done over the years, especially for children.”

At 69, Craig said she is thrilled that she lived long enough to see a black person elected president; she hopes to witness more history with the election of a woman to the Oval Office.

Her daughter, Lauren Craig, 37,  described her Clinton vote as a “no-brainer,” to preserve the Obama legacy.

“I have to cancel out any Trump votes,” she said. Although not perfect, Clinton is “right on a lot of issues that are important to me, like reproductive health. She’s addressed Black Lives Matter, a movement that’s very important to me.

“It would be a slap in the face for this country to elect Trump, after the last eight amazing years,” Lauren Craig added.

Ken Britten, right, with son Jayden, 17. Britten preferred Clinton's experience to what he views as Trump's impulsive, reckless nature. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Ken Britten, right, with son Jayden, 17. Britten preferred Clinton’s experience to what he views as Trump’s impulsive, reckless nature. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Ken Britten, a 53-year-old mental health worker, cited Clinton’s experience and “sound judgment.”

“I just needed someone I believed knows the ropes of Washington and has a sense of control,” Britten said.

Trump may be a deal-maker, he said, but political experience counts, too. “If you’re not willing to listen, you’re not going to learn. Simple as that.

“Trump seems to be a loose cannon,” Britten continued. “Change is good. But I don’t need a radical person who flies off the handle when people piss you off. In politics, people get pissed off all the time. I don’t need someone who will send out the Army, Navy and Marines and start shooting when he gets pissed off.”

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