Lackluster Turnout for Primary Election in Dedham

All of the Dedham voting precincts showed lackluster turnouts with about 25 percent of voters hitting the polls for this fall's primaries.

Greenlodge Elementary School saw 667 voters for precinct seven and 506 votes for precinct five.

"Slow," was the word used to describe the day by precinct seven's election warden Sheila Becker. The sentiment was shared across town at all precincts. Election warden of precinct five, Carolyn McGillicuddie, was disappointed, saying, "This is an important day to come out and get who you want on the ballot."

Precinct six had 497 voters and precinct four received 657, both were at Oakdale Elementary. Michael Humphrey, election warden of precinct four, said, regarding the turnout, there were many uncontested races in this primary and the voters who did show up were a little confused about how to vote in a primary.

One resident leaving Greenlodge Elementary said he came out to support his friends Mike Rush, a state Senate candidate, and Michael Morrissey running for district attorney.

A wife and husband leaving the voting area at Oakdale Elementary both said they liked Stephen Lynch for voting against the health bill and being considerate enough to state in a letter to his supporters, why he did so. Another voter, Astra Strautin, said she came specifically to support the Republican Party.

Another voter said she came to support the Democrats, but only begrudgingly supported Stephen Lynch for Congress only because Mac D'Alessandro ran such a "cheesey" campaign. She said was turned off when she received a letter from D'Alessandro's campaign calling Lynch a "Benedict Arnold."

Avery School, hosting precinct three, received 357 voters. Barbarann Guilfoyle-Goodhue, election warden for precinct three, said that their precinct is usually the slowest, but has picked up recently in regular elections.

At Town Hall, Nancy Krummer, a new resident to Dedham at Hebrew Senior Life, stated that it is important to be heard in the primaries, "They are too often overlooked."

She was upset at Stephen Lynch for voting against health care and coming across as anti-abortion. Krummer felt that he did not represent the Democratic Party well.

Precinct one at Town Hall received 649 voters. Election workers at the precinct said the senior living center has boosted their numbers since it was built two years ago.