Election Officials: Slow Start, But Steady Turnout at the Polls

One of the first few people to trickle into the polling stations in Portsmouth Tuesday morning was a man who hopes to be Rhode Island's next governor. Portsmouth resident and Republican gubernatorial candidate John Robitaille cast his ballot shortly after 7:30 p.m. at Aquidneck Island Christian Academy on East Main Road. Early this morning, moderator Phyllis Moniz described the turnout as "slow"  at that polling station.

"I think we've only had 15 people in the first half hour," Moniz said.

"I'm number 17," Robitaille said soon after entering his ballot. The candidate voted alongside his wife of nearly 20 years, Lynda. The two were later seen outside Portsmouth Town Hall talking with voters.

"I want to visit as many polling places as I can today," said Robitaille, who is running in the primary against fellow Republican Victor Moffitt. 

Robitaille, who formerly served as Gov. Donald L. Carcieri's senior communications adviser, has lived in Portsmouth with his wife for 16 years. A Providence College graduate, he has worked in employee and labor relations for nearly 10 years for two large companies and managed a Rhode Island small business for more than 20 years. 

Moffitt, a business owner and Vietnam War veteran, is a graduate of Coventry High School and Johnson and Wales University, where he received a bachelor's degree in accounting. He was elected to three terms as a state representative from 2002 to 2008, and served on both the House Finance and Veteran Affairs Committees.

From Town Hall, Robitaille said, he was heading to the Republican GOP headquarters in Warwick, where members planned to phone residents and remind them to get out and vote.

Only a few other political candidates were seen at the polls early Tuesday morning, such as Sen. Charles Levesque.

A few Robitaille supporters were seen holding signs outside the Town Hall and Christian Academy polling locations.

"We need a lot of changes and not the same old Democratic machine," said Portsmouth resident and Robitaille supporter Bob Bledsoe. "He (Robitaille) is a good man."

A volunteer from the camp of David Segal was also at Town Hall early Tuesday. Segal is running for the 1st Dist. House of Representative seat currently held by Patrick J. Kennedy, who is not running for re-election.

"We've done a lot of door knocking and bell ringing in the past few weeks," said volunteer Sam Adler-Bell of Providence.

Volunteers from Marriage Equality Rhode Island were also at the polls, gathering signatures on a petition for same-sex marriage.

Inside Town Hall, election officials were busy as more residents entered the door to vote.

"It (the voter turnout) has been steady," said Moderator Cheryl Dame, who reported 57 ballots counted as of 8:25 a.m.

Moderator Kathie Mathias echoed the same report at the polling site located inside the Multi-Purpose Senior Center. Mathias said they saw 58 voters cast ballots as of 9:25 a.m.

"That's pretty good so far considering it's a primary," she said. "We usually get a larger crowd in the afternoon."

The turnout may have something to do with the current state of affairs, according to one voter.

When asked why he felt it was important to vote Tuesday, Portsmouth resident Omer Plourde said, "Look around you."

"The financial situation," he continued. "It's a mess and it's scary. The corruption is rampant. We need change."

Polls will remain open until 9 p.m. throughout town today. To find out where you should vote, please click here or visit the Secretary of State's website here.

Results will be published after polls close on Portsmouth Patch, as well as on the Board of Elections website here.