Voter Snapshots Around Boston
Election Day Scenes at Brookline’s Coolidge Corner
By Gabrielle Miller
BU News Service
College Student Traverses Brookline to Support Candidate
Starting at 5 a.m. Election Day, Malcolm Kelly began crisscrossing Brookline to campaign at every polling place he could for Curt Meyers, a candidate for state representative.
Kelly, originally from Quincy, had driven to Brookline from Schenectady, N.Y., where he’s a senior at Union College. He has been running Meyers’ campaign since the summer. Meyers, a Republican, ran against incumbent Democrat Frank Smizik, who had not faced a challenger for more than a decade. Kelly became involved because he and Meyers were close friends.
“It’s a very small race that not many people know about,” said Kelly, who was handing out flyers and standing near Curt Meyers for Brookline signs at one of his stops, the Coolidge Corner Public Library. The race is for the 15th Norfolk District in Brookline.
His goal was to reach all 16 precincts before voting ended Tuesday.
“I’m just trying to get people last minute, put his name in their heads,” said Kelly.
When asked if he planned to vote, Kelly said he would if he had time.
“If I make it back to Quincy yeah, but I am actually have to go back to school tonight,” he said.
But he cannot vote for Meyers, given he is not from Brookline.
Clinician Hopes Support for Public Programs Continue
Sandra Maislen is concerned about the condition of Massachusetts.
“There’s a lot of people in the state that go to bed hungry, there’s a lot of people in the state that are homeless, there’s a lot of people in the state still without jobs,” said Maislen, who picked Democrat Martha Coakley over Republican Charlie Baker in the gubernatorial race.
Maislen, a Democrat, supports public programs and wants to protect programs that help those in need. She is no stranger to health care and public policy as the division director for developmental medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital.
“I’ve been in Massachusetts under Republican administrations where I felt like programs were cut for poorer people…we have to support everyone. For those of us who are fortunate, we have to help the less fortunate,” she said.
She was concerned that Baker would cut public programs. “I worry if we have a Republican hard line that programs for people that are having trouble making it won’t exist any longer,” she said.
Maislen planned on staying up late Tuesday to hear the results as part of her Election Day ritual.
“I don’t think it’s a sure thing,” she said.
Former and Future BU Terriers at the Polls
A Brookline father tried a different form of entertainment for his 4-year-old son Tuesday morning. Instead of playtime at the playground, he took his son on an excursion to the polls. After Albert L’Etoile voted, his son Charlie ran around the flagpole outside of the Coolidge Corner Public Library
“We’re going to wear our ‘I Voted’ stickers,” said Charlie’s father, Albert, when asked about their Election Day rituals.
Even though Charlie is too young for school, he’s already a Boston University Terrier at heart. His parents are BU alumni and met in college.
“We go to BU and see our friend Rhett. Have you ever seen Rhett?” asked Charlie.
His father voted for Charlie Baker.
“I liked a lot of the points he made. I thought they were stronger, and more aligned with my thoughts,” said L’Etoile.
Election Day Scenes from Allston
By Jun Tsuboike
BU News Service
Couple Votes for First Time as US Citizens
Abdul Kader and Farhana Safi voted for the first time as United States citizens on Tuesday and noticed a big difference from their native Bangladesh. They did not have to sign their names on the ballot.
“They don’t know who’s voting for who,” said Kader. “That’s a good thing.”
In Bangladesh, until reforms in 2008, the government required voters to write their names on their ballot. Both Kader and Safi, who live in Allston, became American citizens in July.
Their first time as voters, they just checked off the Democratic candidates’ names.
“We believe that a lot of them are for the middle class,” said Kader
“Same as him,” said Safi.
Kader and Safi watched the televised gubernatorial debates. Although they thought Republican candidate Charlie Baker was “nice,” Democrat Martha Coakley won their support.
“Nobody’s perfect, but her thinking is better,” said Kader. “Martha Coakley can do better for both the city and the state.”
“Same as him,” said Safi.
Custodian Stumps for Coakley
Chris Daly is not a die-hard Martha Coakley fan, but that didn’t stop him from holding up a Coakley-Kerrigan sign at the Jackson Mann School on Tuesday.
“Charlie Baker scares me,” said Daly. “He will wipe out the middle class.”
Daly, a custodian, said he feared Baker would mimic the moves of former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney. Daly said Romney made cuts to social services during his tenure.
Coakley isn’t his favorite person, but he’s “on her side for now,” Daly said.
He predicted Coakley would win Boston, but he wasn’t sure about the rest of the state.
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