Long Lines but High Hopes at Latin American Youth Center Precinct 36

Traver Riggins - Update
Lines at Latin American Youth Center precinct 36 were running about 90 minutes at about 8:30 a.m.
Depsite intimidating lines, voting seems to be going smoothly at precinct 36.
Will Bordelon got in line about 30 minutes before the polls opened at 7 a.m. and was finished casting his ballot at 8:05 a.m.
"I expected to stay about that long" Bordelon said. He made sure to cast his ballot early so he could get to work on time. He said he voted to Senator McCain, but would be happy if Senator Obama won too.
"I think some of these people are going to go home," he added. He said some people won't want to wait in the long lines, especially if they have to get to work or have other commitments.
The line started at the door of the center at 1419 Columbia, about 70 feet. (shaky estimate) from the corner of Columbia Road and 14th Street, and stretched down the block to 15th Street. At one point in the morning the line wrapped around the block on to 15th.
Emily Johansson also thought the lines might deter people from voting, especially in the District where people are nearly certain that the area will go for Obama. But the long line won't stop her from voting.
"Today is a big day in the history of our country, so it's nice to be a part of it," she said looking to her boyfriend in an inside-out Obama T-shirt for confirmation. Johansson misjudged the weather and took his green sweater to keep warm, leaving Gordon Fournier to flip his shirt or be in trouble for campaigning near an election site.
"We're cautiously optimistic about Obama's chances," Fournier said.
Alexandra Sevilla is hoping for an Obama presidency.
"Everything about him will make him a good president," she said. "He's got good policy views. I think he's going to be engaging of people who have contrasting views…He's a young guy and that will bode well for thinking about the future."
Sevilla's family is from Nicaragua, but she said that being of Latin American descent didn't influence her voting decision.
"I grew up here I don't have the same sort of like issues of like a recent immigrant," she said. "I do understand that my parents did, so compassion toward those types of issues is important, but in terms of I would say as a block we tend to be very pro life or very conservative in some aspects and I'm not that way at all."
Sevilla said she has been voting since 1992 and this was the first time she felt it was really important that she voted.
 In order to make sure everyone's vote is counted, Ward 1 Specialist of the Mayor's Office of Community Relations and Services is making round to the 16 different polling precincts in Ward 1. He has a ballot technician with him who can troubleshoot any problems that come up with the machines. He discovered one problem at the Latin American Youth Center.
"One of the electronic ballots is getting stuck on audio mode so right now we have a technician coming to either repair it or replace it," Gonzalez said.
He said its important that every machine works so everyone can have a chance to vote.
"You see how long these lines are , people have to be able to vote, every machine has to be working efficiently," he said.



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Traver Riggins
Managing Editor, The Hilltop
815.274.9301
traverriggins@gmail.com
triggins@huhilltop.com