Video: Crowded caucus at Carver
Photos: Election day around Waco
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Tuesday, March 4, 2008
McLennan County Dems go with Hillary
With 100 percent of the vote in, McLennan County voters casting ballots in today’s Democratic primary election gave a 414-vote edge to Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Returns showed Clinton with 12,275 votes to Barack Obama’s 11,861 votes.
Clinton made a concerted effort to win Democrats living in “Bush Country,” stumping at the Waco Convention Center last Friday (and just as President Bush flew in for a weekend at his nearby ranch), then dispatching former first daughter Chelsea Clinton to visit local seniors and campaign volunteers on Monday.
Former President Bill Clinton also stumped in the area, including nearby Killeen and, just this past weekend, College Station.
Snell ousts Crunk as commissioner
McLennan County Precinct 1 constituents have a new county commissioner.
With all precincts in the GOP primary reporting, Kelly Snell of Robinson, owner of an energy conservation company, was easily overwhelming Wendall Crunk, who has served as county commissioner for 11 years.
Snell had 2,217 votes while Crunk had 1,683 votes
Among other things, Snell had campaigned against the pay hike Crunk and other commissioners voted themselves more than a year ago.
Crunk, during his campaign, touted how he led the fight against the proposed Trans Texas Corridor in this area and actively opposed proposed coal-fired power plants for McLennan County.
Snell will take the commissioner’s office in January. Democrats did not field a candidate for the post.
No peace at Peace Lutheran Church
From what Tribune-Herald staff writer Erin Quinn reports, Peace Lutheran Church, 9301 Panther Way, was yet another local example of the somewhat chaotic situation involving primary election caucusing going on tonight.
In the Democratic presidential primary, Barack Obama won 13 of the precinct’s 20 delegates with 62 percent of the 134 caucusing voters, she said. It started at 7:53 p.m. and ended at 9 p.m.
Just before the polls closed, a line of more than 150 gathered outside Peace Lutheran Church. Some hadn’t voted yet and were directed to the front of the line.
Moments before 7 p.m, the site’s alternate election judge, George Tibbs, announced he was about to cut off the line to vote, which sparked confusion among voters and caucus-goers. He told caucus-goers it could be an hour before the caucus started.
The church then opened its sanctuary to hold the hungry and cold caucus voters.
Traveling Obama supporters set up their table at the front of the church and opened five bags of cookies that went over big with both Hillary Clinton and Obama supporters.
Among those who waited was Baylor employee Viola Osborn, who said she showed up for caucus four years ago and was the only one.
“I was the caucus,” she said, laughing. “I got to go to the county convention and everything, but I still have no idea how a caucus works.”
Clinton’s traveling supporters set up their table at the front of the sanctuary at 7:30 p.m.
Real estate agent Bobbie Tilton was just one of the anxious voters waiting to caucus at the church.
“They’d better hurry up before I turn Lutheran,” Tilton said . “I’m reading prayer books and songs over here.”
Once the signing started at 7:53 p.m., most voters left.
Fossie Hadley, a 60-year-old housewife, said she didn’t expect to wait at the caucus, but didn’t mind.
“I really didn’t have any idea what it would be like,” she said. “I just knew it was something Hillary needed us to do. As long as she’s in it, I’m in it with her.”
Hillary Blakeley, a 24-year-old Baylor graduate student, was surprised she could leave after signing in.
“Earlier in the day, I looked up a bunch about caucuses online because I didn’t know what to expect,” the Obama supporter said. “I read it could take a while, so I brought work to do and everything.”
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Obama, Clinton split vote 50-50 in Coryell County
If you’ve noticed how the election totals across Texas are almost 50-50 between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham, Coryell County may well mirror what’s frantically going on statewide.
Veteran Tribune-Herald staffer Mike Copeland, who’s been dissecting election returns, tells us Clinton and Obama each scored 2,434 votes in Coryell County, just below McLennan County.
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Huckabee: ‘We kept the faith’
The Associated Press
IRVING, Texas — Mike Huckabee bowed to reality Tuesday and out of the Republican presidential race.
“We kept the faith,” he told his end-of-the-road rally Tuesday after John McCain clinched the nomination. “I’d rather lose an election than lose the principles that got me into politics in the first place.”
The genial conservative went out as he had campaigned all along, with a quip: “It’s time for us to hit the reset button.”
Huckabee won the leadoff Iowa caucuses, making him a sudden but short-lived sensation, and then seven other states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana and Kansas. Meantime, McCain piled up big victories on his way to winning the prize on Tuesday night.
The writing was on the wall for weeks, but the former Arkansas governor hung on until McCain secured the necessary delegates.
“We started this effort with very little recognition and virtually no resources,” Huckabee told supporters. “We ended with slightly more recognition and very few resources.”
The crowd laughed. “But what a journey,” he said. “What a journey. A journey of a lifetime.”
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Local early voting gives edge to Obama, McCain
It looks like a long night for election officials, especially with oversized caucus meetings, but early votes for McLennan County are in. Local Democrats voting for Barack Obama slightly edged out those for Hillary Clinton, 51 percent to 47 percent.
Early vote totals from the McLennan County Elections Office showed Obama getting 4,229 votes to 3,876 for Clinton.
Complete returns may tell a different story.
On the Republican side, GOP nominee John McCain got 58 percent, while Mike Huckabee, who ended his presidential run tonight, got 33 percent.
Both candidates, of course, were in Waco in recent days. McCain stumped at the Heart O’ Texas Fairgrounds on Monday and Huckabee campaigned at the Waco Hilton on Thursday.
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Unexpected caucus crowds forcing change in plans
> Carver Academy
Large crowds participating in Texas’ confusing presidential primary caucus system are clogging local and area polling places and slowing counts, just as election officials statewide had feared.
At Lake Shore Methodist Church, 3311 Park Lake Drive in West Waco, between 300 and 400 people representing two precincts were milling around this evening, looking for a place to caucus. Problem: There was no room in the church big enough to accommodate all of them.
Members of one precinct finally managed to caucus, while members of the other precinct waited for them to finish. There was some confusion over whether people had to stay after they signed up.
Over at Crestview Elementary School, 1120 N. New Road, an overflow crowd of Democratic voters wanting to caucus were moved from one building to another. No one expected the crowd to be so large.
The same thing erupted at G.W. Carver Academy, 1601 J.J. Flewellen Road in East Waco, where more than 500 people were ready to caucus just after the polls closed while about 100 were still lined up waiting to vote. Election officials moved the crowd from the cafeteria to the gym to accommodate everyone.
It was 8:30 before the last voter at Carver voted in the primary election. Then election officials began signing people up to caucus. There appeared to be about 500 people waiting to caucus.
When, at one point shortly after the polls closed, word got out at Carver Academy about Barack Obama’s winning the Vermont primary election, about three-quarters of the crowd on campus cheered.
At another point this evening, Obama and Clinton campaign officials could be seen huddling with precinct officials over complicated rules for Texas’ primary caucus system. Observers expected what was supposed to be a brief meeting to stretch on for more than an hour.
At Crestview Elementary School, precinct official Jim Tom Speer, taking stock of the huge crowd of Democrats ready to caucus this evening and the current president, remarked drolly: “Well, I’ll tell you one thing. If George Bush did anything, it was getting people to come out and vote.”
Local election officials worried that many Democratic voters, to avoid having to vote during the day and then return to the polls to caucus at night, would just make one visit close to the end of polling, then wait around a few minutes for a presumably brief caucus meeting.
Then again, tonight’s caucuses may just be huge because of the equally large attention devoted to the Democratic primary caucus system in Texas and the tight race between presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Not every polling place experienced massive caucuses. University High School, 2600 Bagby Ave in south central Waco, saw four or five dozen people come to caucus after the polls closed, with those representing Clinton slightly outnumbering those for Obama.
However, the number caucusing at University High School — one family participating consisted of four generations — never forced any moves to another hall.
At Crestview Elementary School, 70 voters signed up during the caucus for Obama, while 49 signed for Clinton. That apparently means Obama gets 9 delegates plus their alternates while Clinton Hillary gets 6.
Caucus chairman Michael Long said that while 119 Democrats signed to caucus at Crestview Elementary this year, only 4 signed up in 2004.
At University High School, the results were flipped: 26 people signed for Clinton, meaning she gets 7 delegates and their alternates, while Obama got 14 signatures, which means he gets 4 delegates.
Even at University High School, some confusion arose. When the Arivzu/Mireles family arrived to caucus, they immediately looked for the person in charge. The problem, they said, was nobody in charge.
Election officials were shutting down the poll station when Maria Mireles asked them about caucusing.
“They didn’t have anybody and they were already closing the doors,” she said. So she and her brother, Armando Arivzu, found they had little choice beyond volunteering themselves.
Mireles had been to a Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign meeting a few days earlier explaining the caucus process.
“We weren’t going to let Clinton down,” she said.
Early voting results for McLennan County
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
President
Obama 4,229
Clinton 3,876
Commissioner / Pct. 3
Mashek 961
Anderson 584
Constable / Place 8
Cantu 277
Romero 96
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
President
McCain 3,538
Huckabee 2,021
State representative
Anderson 3,521
Sibley 1,913
Sheriff
Lynch 4,741
Gates 940
Commissioner / Pct. 1
Snell 771
Crunk 507
Constable / Place 1
Bailey 1,981
Culyer 1,480
Constable / Place 5
Geiger 202
Hickey 176
Witt 96
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Line swells to 200 at Carver Academy
From Trib reporter David Doerr:
With polling scheduled to end at 7 p.m., the line of expectant voters has grown to about 200 at the Carver Academy, site of Waco’s busiest voting precinct.
Because pollsters will let all those in line vote first, the planned caucus will likely be delayed from its planned 7:15 p.m. start time.
At least 100 people have gathered at the site to take part in the caucus.
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Voices at South Terrace: ‘Think of the children … of their future’
By staff writer Tommy Witherspoon
As of 5:30 p.m., 91 people had cast their vote at the South Terrace Neighborhood Center, Precinct 20.
Alicia Robles, 28, an HEB employee and first-time voter said she considers herself a Democrat and voted for Hillary Clinton. ” She is going to help us,” Robles said when asked why she voted for Clinton. “As a low-income person, I know she will help us with health-care. That is important to us who don’t make as much money.”
If she had a chance to speak to the next president, Robles said she would encourage him or her to “think of the children…of their future.”
Sharon Schilling, 57, a house-wife, said she voted for Barack Obama, even though she considers herself a Republican. Schilling said issues important to her include the state of the economy, health care and “finishing the war.”
“I like him, and we need a change, and I don’t like Hillary (Clinton),” Schilling said when asked why she didn’t vote within her party. “And I don’t like McCain. We’ve had enough of the Clintons.”
If she could say one thing to the next president, Schilling said she would tell him or her to be honest.
“Stop lying,” Schilling said. “Do what you say you are going to do and work with people instead of politicians.”
Another Obama voter, Mary Hicks, 60, retired, said she voted in her party for the person she thought was “young” and “fresh.”
“I think he’s young and fresh and has some good ideas for healthcare and helping the students,” Hicks said.
Hicks’ main issues include health care, the war and immigration.
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McCain wins Ohio GOP primary
CNN is projecting that Sen. John McCain will win the Ohio Republican primary. Here is the story
The Associated Press also has called Ohio for McCain.
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150 in line to vote at Carver Academy; 90-minute wait reported
From Trib reporter David Doerr:
At 6:40 p.m., 150 people are in line to vote at the Carver Academy, with 20 minutes left in polling.
The Precinct 12 voting station has the largest cache of delegates in the city, 59, and historically has the largest turnout. As of 5:30 p.m., 447 people had voted there.
People are still joining the line, the parking lot is overflowing and people are parking in streets. One person who just voted described waiting to vote for 90 minutes.
The wait could delay the caucus meeting, which is supposed to start at 7:15 p.m., but it will not start until all have voted.
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Obama, McCain win in Vermont
From the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Vermont primary Tuesday night, and the two Democratic rivals dueled in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island in their riveting race for the party’s presidential nomination. John McCain reached out for the Republican delegates needed to secure his triumph after a decade’s struggle.
The Vermont victory was Obama’s 12th straight over the former first lady, desperate to rebound later in the night in the other three states holding elections.
McCain added Vermont to his column in the Republican race, and pocketed all 17 delegates at stake. That put the magic number — 1,191 — within his reach.
The Associated Press made its calls based on surveys of voters as they left the polls.
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Voices at South Waco Elementary
By staff writer Tommy Witherspoon
David Hilton, a 45-year-old Waco auto mechanic, said he voted for John McCain, because he feels he is the strongest candidate.
Hilton’s chief issue is health care, which he called a huge issue.
If he could speak with the next president, he would say, “Get done with Iraq, not necessarily a total withdrawal, but get it finished. We’ve been over there too long.”
Manny Dowling, 38, self-employed, said he voted for Barack Obama.
Dowling agrees with his stance that it’s time for a change, not necessarily in the sense of having a minority or female president, but a change in policies and direction.
His one issue is the war. He said he feels President Bush started the war to vindicate his dad.
“I’m still waiting for them to find one weapon of mass destruction to justify all those lives lost,” Dowling said.
If he was to talk to the president he would say, “Stand on your word. Keep your promises and don’t just tell people what they want to hear.”
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Voices at Baylor: ‘Let the market work’
From staff writer Tommy Witherspoon
Greg McNew, a 21-year-old computer science junior from Granbury, Texas, said he voted for Barack Obama.
“I trust him most on foreign policy issues and I think his health care plan is the most reasonable.”
McNew said he thinks Obama is the most likely candidate to bring transparency to government. To him the most important issues are foreign policy (including handling of the war in Iraq), the environment and personal liberties.
He said if he could, he would tell whoever becomes president: “I think it is more important to protect our civil liberties than restrict them in the name of fighting terrorists.”
Jamaal Myles, 20, a information management systems major from Los Angeles said today was his first time to vote, and he chose Obama.
Myles said he likes the Democratic candidate’s plans on education and health care, and his anti-war policy. He also likes him because he’s not a “band wagoner,” when it comes to his stance on issues.
He said he likes Obama’s consistency in his policies.
For Myles, the most important issues this election are the economy, health care and taxes.
He urged whoever becomes president to remain faithful to the policies campaigned on.
Recent Baylor Law School graduate Rebecca Griffin, 23, of Phoenix, said she voted for Jonathan Sibley because she was in law shcool with him for a while.
Griffin, a Republican, said she voted for Ron Paul because she did not like McCain’s policies from when she was in Arizona.
Her top issues: immigration, defense and the economy. If she could talk to the president, she would say, “Let the market work. The free market will work itself out if you just leave it alone.”
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Voices in West: ‘Get out of Iraq’
In West, a heavily Democratic bastion of McLennan County, 21-year-old Coy Miller, who works for the city repairing water and sewer lines, voted for the very first time. Miller’s choice: Hillary Clinton.
“I just agree with her on most issues,” Miller said late this afternoon. “I feel strongly about her.”
Among the motivations: The conviction that Clinton, as president, would definitely do something to lower skyrocketing gasoline prices.
Debbie Polansky, 48, of West, a dental hygienist and the mother of two who can’t afford health insurance through her job, says she’s voting for Obama.
Her advice for the next president: “I’d say get people out of Iraq and do something about the rising cost of health care.”
Voices in Elm Mott: ‘Don’t let big business make the decisions’
Monica Ortiz found a line out the door when she arrived at Precinct 67 at about 4:30, and parking was at a premium.
Carl and Laura Patrick were there to vote for Republican Ron Paul, and his stance on immigration reforms was one reason.
But Paul’s economic views also attracted their vote. “The economy is important, mainly because money gets so tight nowadays,” says Laura, who at 60 is still working in order to help pay bills and keep health insurance.
Carl also likes Paul’s small-government point of view. “I’d like to see a reduction of government power,” Carl says.
Their message to the next president: “Mostly don’t let big business make the decisions,” Carl says. “Let the little people do it,” his wife chimes in.
Robert Kuykendell stopped at the Elm Mott precinct to vote for Mike Huckabee, whose views on the economy, abortion and the war he supports. “I don’t think we should just pull out of Iraq, give it to them and say, ‘I give up.’ “
He doesn’t trust the Democratic candidates, and if John McCain prevails over Huckabee for the GOP nomination, he’d have some advice for him: “He needs to listen to the people more.”
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Voices at Dewey Recreation Center: ‘Lower gas prices now’
Kwan Boggess, a 33-year-old school teacher at Meadowbrook Elementary, voted for Hillary Clinton at the Dewey Recreation Center, 925 N. Ninth St.
“Not just because she’s a woman,” she explained to staffer Tommy Witherspoon. “I just feel like she is better prepared for the position. I feel she has a bit more experience.”
The most important issues to her are the Iraq war and education.
“We need to be done with the war because too many people have lost loved ones. … It’s time for it to be over,” she said.
She said she’d tell the new president: “We need lower gas prices right now.”
Barack Obama was the choice of Raven Hawthorne, 25, a merchandising supervisor at Sam’s Club.
He represents a change in the direction that the country moving in, she said. “We need somebody who is strong about making decisions, not afraid of confrontation or debate, and with strong leadership abilities.”
Children’s health insurance and the Iraq war are top concerns for her.
She would tell the next president to look out for kids and the middle class, those trying to make it in life, and “not those sitting down and capable, but not willing to work.”
Another vote for Obama came from Julie Holt, 75. Why? “Because I like him,” she said.
Health care and getting out of the war are priorities for Holt.
She said she would tell the next president: “Good luck and God bless you. I’ll be praying for you daily.”
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Clinton, Obama campaigns allege election rules violations
Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s campaigns alleged that supporters of their rival candidates were trying to circumvent Texas Democratic Party rules by circulating sign-in sheets before tonight’s precinct conventions.
The sign-in sheets are crucial because they are the documents precinct chairmen will use to calculate how many delegates each candidate will win from tonight’s caucuses. Both campaigns alleged numerous reports across the state of such activity.
The Texas Democratic Party distributed a memo today repudiating the practice of campaigns filling out sign-in sheets in advance, which the Clinton campaign described as “underhanded tactics.”
“We want every Texas voter to know that sign-in sheets distributed before the primary polls close, will not count,” said Ace Smith, state director of the Clinton campaign, in a statement. “We encourage them to participate in their precinct convention by showing up at their polling location at 6:30 p.m.”
The Obama campaign alleged that Clinton supporters had solicited signatures on sign-in sheets in Dallas, El Paso, Jefferson and Tarrant counties.
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Voices in Chalk Bluff: ‘The war has been handled just right’
Monica Ortiz talked to two voters who cast their ballots at Chalk Bluff Baptist Church this afternoon.
Kenneth Dunn, 54, is a maintenance worker for the state. His top concerns are the economy and immigration.
Dunn, who voted for John McCain, said experience was the deciding factor.
“I think he’s the man for the job,” Dunn said. “He’s been around a long time and he knows what he’s doing.”
Dunn said comprehensive immigration reform is needed.
“It’s kind of a sour note,” he said. “(The immigrants) are already here. Let’s get them legal and keep them working. That will help the economy.”
Dunn said he likes McCain’s military background and hopes to see the war effort continue.
“I think the war has been handled just right up until now, and we should keep at it rather than withdraw,” he said.
Erica Smith, 29, is not currently working. She said she’s on medicaid and kidney dialysis, and is waiting for a kidney transplant.
Smith said she’s happy with her medical care, but is concerned about education.
“I want to go back to school,” Smith said.
She was studying to be a nurse before suffering from kidney problems, and financial hardships forced her to stop attending college.
Smith said she voted for Barack Obama because “I like his plan about helping college students.”
She said she was originally planning to vote for Hillary Clinton.
” But I sat down and listened to the candidates, and I could feel what (Obama) was saying.”
Voices at Provident Heights: ‘Don’t want more of the same’
Suzanne White, 34, a stay-at-home mother of two, said she cast her ballot at Provident Heights Elementary for Barack Obama because she believes he stands for change, including changing the way elections are run.
She told staffer Tommy Witherspoon that Hillary Clinton represents “the establishment.”
“I don’t want more of the same,” she said.
Another important issue to her is the Iraq war and trying to find a way to end it.
If she could speak to the next president, she would suggest election reform, especially campaign finance reform.
“The way we run our elections determines what kind of democracy we have,” White said. “Right now it runs representative of big money. I support Obama because he seems to represent the citizens.”
GOP candidate John McCain was the choice of Clarice Barron, a 62-year-old employee at Texas State Technical College.
The Iraq war is an important issue for her.
“I think we should finish it up and bring our guys home safely,” she said. “But not just retreat and leave the terrorism to continue.”
She added that she believes McCain is sincere, which appeals to her.
Barron said she would tell the next president, which she presumes will be McCain, “to follow his heart.”
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Voices in Lacy-Lakeview: Obama ‘new and enthusiastic’
For Jamal Akhter, a naturalized U.S. citizen voting this afternoon at the Lacy-Lakeview Civic Center, the economy is driving his vote for Barack Obama, he told reporter Monica Ortiz Uribe.
“When gas prices go up, all poor people suffer and it’s a big problem,” said Akhter, 47, who is originally from Pakistan.
The convenience store owner said that the high gas prices affect sales negatively at his business. Obama appeals to him because “he’s new and he’s enthusiastic,” he said.
His wife, however, supports Hillary Clinton because of the New York senator’s political experience, he said.
The war also is a concern, he said. “American people don’t like war,” he said. “We want our troops to come back safely.”
Because he works 18-hour days, Akhter said he won’t go to the caucus tonight.
If he would be able to talk to the next president, he would suggest a flat-tax rate, he said.
Gay Lynn Shaffer, 58, a housewife, said she voted for Hillary Clinton.
“I think that she has a lot of experience from being so many years in politics,” she said. “I think she’s very intelligent and I think she’s very well qualified for this job.”
The economy is her biggest concern.
She will not attend the caucus because she doesn’t drive at night.
If she could tell the next president something, she said she’d say: “Hillary, take care of people in this country before giving anything away to other countries.”
For ABX Air employee Tanya Little, 33, the big issues for her are abortion and gay marriage. That led her to vote for Mike Huckabee, although she said she’d support John McCain if he’s the GOP nominee.
“Sorry, I don’t agree with (gay marriage) … it ruins the family, it messes up the family relationship.”
Little said she’d tell McCain, whom she figures will be the next president: “I hope you stand for what you say you’ll stand for.”
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Voters banging on the door at 6:50 a.m. in Riesel
Trib staffer Tim Woods didn’t find anyone at Riesel City Hall, the Precinct 73 polling place, when he arrived, but it is the middle of the afternoon.
Election workers there told him that they have had a pretty steady flow all day, with 112 voters by the 1:30 p.m. accounting. Of those, 53 voted Republican and 69 Democrat, which might be the most balanced party voting we’ve seen thus far.
The workers also said they had a line of people waiting before the polls opened. Some even banged on the door at 6:50 a.m. wanting to be let in, even though the site can’t open until 7 a.m. They probably wanted to get out of the cold.
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Voices at Central Christian: Going with the GOP
From Tribune-Herald reporter Erin Quinn:
Judy Sirbasku walked into the Central Christian Church at 2:30 p.m. hoping her vote would count toward changing the likely direction of the Republican presidential primary.
“I think it’s going to be fun to see what happens tonight,” said Sirbasku, the owner of an Arabian Horse Farm.
“I’m a conservative Republican,” she said. “Huckabee is conservative, shares my family values and wants to get rid of the IRS.”
Her first choice for president, she said, was Mitt Romney.
“If McCain gets elected, he better decide quick who his vice president would be, and it’d better be a conservative Republican,” she said.
She said she didn’t attend any of the candidates’ visits to Waco, but said she could tell “they were here for a reason.”
Orville and Alma Bridges also voted Republican, but shared a different view on McCain.
Orville Bridges, 83, didn’t stop to talk as he entered the church, but said he was voting for McCain.
“We’re voting for McCain because I like him,” he said.
Alma, 80, laughed at her husband’s terse response, saying she probably wouldn’t have had if a choice if she didn’t like McCain in their household.
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Voices at Pleasant Grove Baptist: ‘My wife has cancer and it’s been hard’
Tribune-Herald reporter Monica Ortiz Uribe was able to talk to three voters at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, each of whom say they support Barack Obama.
The Rev. Leno Bush, who is retired after working for 46 years at a local auto dealership, said there is a strong need for change in Washington, D.C.
“We need a new president,” he said. “I hope I voted for the right person. I really wish I could have voted for both (Hillary Clinton and Obama). It was a tough decision.”
Bush said he likes what Obama has to say.
“I like the way he talks,” Bush said. “We’ve been needing a change from the same old thing all the time.”
Bush said what he’d like to tell the next president is “to do what they say — especially about lowering taxes.”
Henry and Brenda Williams are both retired, and say health care is the most important issue to them.
Brenda has battled cancer twice, which has put a financial strain on the family.
“My wife has cancer and it’s been hard,” Henry said. “Bill collectors are still calling from the first time she had cancer.”
Brenda said her insurance will expire in July, which is a huge concern.
“You can’t get help if you don’t have insurance,” she said.
Henry said he voted for Obama “because he seemed the most sincere.”
Both Henry and Brenda Williams said they plan to caucus tonight.
“I’m more excited this year,” Brenda said. “It’s been a close, close race.”
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‘Grey’s Anatomy’ actress makes house calls for Obama in Waco
Kate Walsh may have been more than an hour late for duty, but when she finally got to Waco late this morning, she worked like a real trouper, knocking on doors, stumping for Barack Obama and pumping up his local volunteers.
Best-known for the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy” and, more recently, “Private Practice,” Walsh was due at Obama campaign headquarters on Columbus Avenue at 9:30 a.m. However, her busy schedule across Texas resulted in her arriving at 10:45.
After rallying the troops, she went off on her own and began canvassing a neighborhood, an Obama campaign official told the Tribune-Herald. The official said he didn’t know what neighborhood Walsh visited but he said she was gone several hours.
She finally left town a little before 3 p.m., he said.
The campaign official said everyone was impressed.
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Dem County chair: Beware cable news reports, pundits calling election
John Cullar, chairman of the McLennan County Democratic Party, said caucus goers should ignore reports on MSNBC that say that the polls in Texas will close at 9 p.m.
That’s only in El Paso and the polls will close at the regular time in Central Texas, which is 7 p.m., Cullar said. And Waco’s Democratic Party’s precinct conventions, also called caucuses, will be held at 7:15 p.m. or as soon as the last person in line to vote has cast his or her ballot, he said.
It will also be interesting to see how the pundits on national television try to explain the outcome of Texas’ primary-caucus hybrid election system. Out of the 228 delegates up for grabs in Texas 126 will be determined based on the primary vote. Another 67 will be based on the results of the caucuses held at precinct, county and state conventions.
The Texas Democratic Party has never tried to collect all of the results of the precinct conventions on election day, Cullar said. And because the precinct chairmen have until Friday to send in the caucus results to the state party, it could be days before the state has a handle on who won the most delegates.
“It is just guess work,” he said. “The (precinct convention) is the first step and you really can’t tell from that.”
But that is not not going to stop candidates from declaring victory tonight, Cullar said.
“(The candidates) want an immediate spin on what is going on,” he said.
The delegates who are elected at the precinct conventions can change their preference for presidential candidates at the county and state conventions, Cullar said. So the final results on the delegate counts won’t be official until the state convention in early June, he said.
But the campaigns of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are putting pressure on state and local county Democratic officials to produce at least a preliminary determination on who won the most delegates, Cullar said.
The Texas Democratic Party is asking precinct chairmen to call in results so they can be posted on the state party’s Web site tonight.
“We expect some precinct conventions to not take any longer than an hour, but some may be taking up to two or three hours,” said Hector Nieto, a state party spokesman. “It’s just a matter of communicating with these precincts and how they fast they can get the results back to us.”
Cullar said he is encouraging precinct chairmen to turn their results in tonight. But he said it remains unclear when the results of the caucuses will be known.
And how quick the results come in might depend on the organization of the party, which often varies in rural and urban areas, Cullar said.
“It is going to be impossible to tell the percentages until a day or two,” he said.
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Voices in Mart: First-time voter for Hillary
At the Mart Community Center, where residents in Precincts 71 and 92 come to vote, staffer Tim Woods reports that 198 have voted as on 1:30 p.m.
Election officials told him that it’s about 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 Democratic voters, but that’s to be expected in Mart.
Sandra Boyd said she cast her ballot for Hillary Clinton.
“I’m 38 years old and I’ve never voted for anyone,” she said. “I came to vote for Hillary, not just the fact that she’s a woman, but the fact that she’s got the strength to be commander in chief.”
She said a big issue for her is health care, which has long been a mainstay in Clinton’s platform.
“I work in Waco and I can’t afford the health care that my work offers,” Boyd said. “It’s a horrible situation not to be able to pay for your health care if something would go wrong.”
One man was outside the center handing out Ron Paul fliers. A voter commented to him that he knew a few people who said they backed the GOP candidate.
“I wish there were a few million more of them (Paul supporters),” he sighed.
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Voices at Lake Shore Baptist: Voting comes before doctor
Douglas Pitts, 84, shuffled with a walker into Lake Shore Baptist Church just before 2 p.m. with purpose. He hurt his back earlier this week, and has no choice but to use the walker. “It takes me 20 minutes to put my shoes and socks on,” he said. “I haven’t even been to the doctor yet. I came here first. This is more on my mind.” Pitts, who is retired from Merrill Lynch, said he planned on casting his ballot for Sen. John McCain. Larry Harder, 70, was also Republican-minded when he headed into the church, but his presidential vote was going to Gov. Mike Huckabee. He said he wasn’t able to attend Huckabee’s rally Thursday at the Waco Hilton, but said his and the appearances of other candidates and big-name supporters to Central Texas is telling of the closeness of the race. “They’re scrounging for every vote they can get apparently,” Harder said. “In most elections, Waco doesn’t seem to matter as much.” Outside the church, three supporters of local candidates Jonathon Sibley, Sheriff Larry Lynch and Constable Travis Bailey stood with signs of support. They said they had been touring Waco’s polling places all morning. Most interesting: Bruce Scott, 36, of Austin and a friend of Sibley, said at Tennyson Middle School early this morning a Hillary Clinton campaign representative told every voter she could to meet back at the school at 6:45 p.m. to caucus.
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Voices in Bellmead: ‘Words won’t cut it. We need real change.’
Tribune-Herald reporter Monica Ortiz Uribe was on the scene at the Bellmead Civic Center, and got these comments and observations from voters:
Donna Carroll made quite a drive to vote. The Bellmead resident works in Groesbeck, so she took a two-hour lunch break to return to her hometown to pick up her son and to cast her ballot at the Bellmead Civic Center.
The economy is her top issue this election. “Gas prices are eating me alive,” she says, adding that she’s had to cut back on food purchases so she can afford fuel.
She’s backing Barack Obama. “I’m hoping if he does get elected, I want him to create change — real change, not good-old-boy change like we would get from other people.”
But she wants action. “Words won’t cut it. We need real change.”
Alex Moorman, an international studies major at Baylor University with an emphasis on the Middle East, said foreign policy is his top issue.
He supports Barack Obama.
“The United States has spoken like we’re one way and then acted another way,” Moorman said. “We say we’re for peace and then act with aggression.”
Moorman said he supports Obama because, “I really believe he has the convictions to help people that are less fortunate than he.”
He said he plans to attend the Democratic caucus this evening, and afterward will watch election results with Obama supporters at Treff’s.
Tom Heaton, a retired construction worker, said he voted for Hillary Clinton.
“I think she’s experienced,” he said. “She’ll also have her husband there beside her. She’s been around the world and she’s talked to everybody.”
Heaton said the main issue for him is the war in Iraq.
“The main thing I’d say is that we need to stop this war, and get some of that money over here,” he said. “I’ve been in the service and I think this war is useless.”
Obama supporter Ryan Young puts out a sign outside the Wiethorn Visitors Center polling place on the Baylor campus Tuesday.
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Downsville site staying busy
Trib photographer Jerry Larson reports seeing a steady stream of voters at Downsville, which probably makes sense because four precincts go to that location, the most of any site.
Election officials told him that they’ve seen more voters come through today than they can ever remember.
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Voices in East Waco: Turning out the vote
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama supporters hold signs outside Precinct 3, Wiethorn Visitors Center, on the Baylor campus.In one of the most delegate-rich parts of Waco, Sen. Barack Obama claimed the support of several voters this morning.
At G.W. Carver Academy, voters turned out in force with 179 by 11:30 a.m. High turnout in this precinct in previous elections has given precinct 12 59 delegates to send to the Democratic Party’s county convention, the highest number in McLennan County by far.
Billy Outley, a minister at St. Paul’s Church of God in Christ, said he didn’t accept Hillary Clinton’s argument that is more experienced than Obama because of her time serving as first lady during her husband’s presidency.
“How can she say she has the experience, when it was Bill (Clinton) running things,” he said.
Outley said he planned to turnout to participate in tonight’s precinct convention at at G.W. Carver Academy.
He said this is the district where many voters have historically shown up to vote for U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco. He said he expected them to do the same for Obama, whom Edwards has endorsed.
Mike Pezzano, who described himself as an independent, said he was attracted to Obama because he is the only candidate that inspires people like Ronald Reagan did in the 1980s.
“Right now we need a leader,” he said. “I don’t care what politician we put in there. We need someone to guide this country in the 21st Century. Like it or night none of the politicians are going to give you all of what you want. But good solid leadership is a good start.”
R.J. Robinson, who took his 93 year-old mother to the polls to vote today, said he supported Obama today. However, he acknowledged that he worries about his security.
“You don’t know if people are ready to accept a black president,” Robinson said. “You don’t know if something would happen to him like J.F.K.”
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