Wheaton Polls See 'Heavy' Morning Turnout

Voters set their coffee cups on a handrail outside the door of the Wheaton Community Center before going inside to join the long line for the polls Tuesday morning.

Roger Branninger, one of the two chief judges at the community center, said that the Board of Elections had told poll workers to expect an 80-85 percent voter turnout. Other judges confirmed this.

Marjorie Roher, spokesperson for the Board of Elections, told Patch that the board does not officially prognosticate turnout, but that presidential elections generally see a 60-80 percent turnout.

"We're certainly anticipating that it will be on the high end of that," Roher said.

Victor Robbins, a roamer for the Board of Elections who visited several polling locations in Wheaton Tuesday morning, described turnout as "heavy."

The community center (Precinct 13-44) has approximately 2,800 people registered there, and Branninger said he expected 2,000 of those to show up at the polls.

When the center opened at 7 a.m., there was a line almost down to the street, Branninger said. Poll workers quickly reorganized the line to fold up inside the center so that voters would not have to wait outside in the cold morning air.

"It's been very crowded," Branninger said.

A total of 399 people had voted by 10 a.m. at the Wheaton Community Center. At nearby Wheaton High School, 279 voters had cast their ballots. 

John F. Kennedy High School hosts two precincts. Precinct 13-63 saw 185 voters from 7-10 a.m., and 13-02 saw 664 voters in the same time period.

What kind of lines did you encounter at the polls this morning? Tell us in the comments.