"We're Doing Our Job"

WFP Capital District Co-Chair Karen Scharff sends in this link to a "field report" posted by the Albany Times Union. Apparently "over-eager" WFP volunteers are actually trying to persuade voters at Rensselaer County poll sites to vote on Row E. Scharff says, "We're doing our job!"

Election Day voting steady

Few polling place miscues, overeager campaigning in spots

The escalating tension and drama of this election season seemed to drift away with this morning's cool winds, replaced by anticipation for the results.

Election officials across the Capital Region reported few, if any, voting problems. And the candidates themselves were squeezing in last-minute campaigning - leaving little time for new accusations.

Confusion over polling places, somewhat fueled by the national political parties' automated calls on Monday, drove busy days at the various county Boards of Election. And in Rensselaer County, election officials fielded complaints of over-eager campaigning by the Working Families Party.

Otherwise, most polling places reported steady turnout.

...

In Rensselaer County:

The Rensselaer County Board of Elections is expecting a more than 60 percent turnout in the county and the only problem so far has been activists with the Working Families Party urging people to vote for their candidates.

"We have been flooded with complaints that their people are bothering people going to the polls, talking to them even as they are getting out of their cars,'' said Democratic Election Commissioner Ed McDonough.

Officials have gone to the polls to check out the activity and found that the party workers are not violating any election laws and are staying the required distance from the polling place. "They are just more aggressive than usual,'' McDonough said.

The reason could be the party needs at least 50,000 votes on their lines statewide to retain their ballot status for another four years.