'One Big Family' At Ward 2 Polling Place

There was a festive feel in the air over at building on Speedwell Avenue late Tuesday afternoon, as Second Ward voters came in to cast their votes.

This is the second time Willa Hayes has volunteered to work the polls on Election Day. "What I can tell you about this ward in particular is that we all know each other around here," she said. "It's like one big family where everyone knows everyone. There hasn't been a person that has come in that I haven't recognized or known. These guys here at the station have been great. They've been serving us with 'gladness' all day by bringing us coffee and tea while we work the polls."

Judging from voters here, it seems to be boiling down to how much a candidate did or didn't do in response to and that caught much of the region by surprise.  

Shea Jonah, a resident in the Second Ward, didn't seem to find either candidate––worthy of her vote. She instead elected to write-in a vote for Democrat Vera White.

Jonah, who said she was without power for close to five days as a result of the snowstorm, had another place to stay with until her power was restored. But many residents in the complex she lives in did not. That is when she heard that White had taken time off from work to open her home up to anyone that was in need of somewhere to go to get out of the cold.

In addition, Jonah said White was highly visible during Irene. She regularly did wellness checks on many of the residents that were left in the dark for days. "That is the type of person that I want to represent me," she said.

Meanwhile over in the First Ward, things were a bit more quiet at the polling location.

"There are too many uncertainties still to know which way the vote is going to go," said election worker Joanne Lagno. Still, the flow of voters into the Town Hall polling station was just short of "a stand-still," she said.

, Independent incumbent Rebecca Feldman also would not allow herself to sit back and rest on her laurels Tuesday afternoon.

Manning her post at the Town Hall polling station since 6 a.m., Feldman's responsibility was to make sure individuals that came into vote were "who they said they were," she said. She was also given the task of keeping track of the registered voters that actually came in to vote.

Haven't voted yet? What are you waiting for? Polls close at 8 p.m. Either way, also be sure to cast your "vote" in Morristown Patch's very unscientific poll here. If you're not sure who to vote for, check out our comprehensive voting guide.