Our reporters visited polling places in Athol and Orange to speak with voters about their preferences in Tuesday’s presidential primary. They heard from supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, President Donald Trump and in one case, the family dog.
A steady stream of voters made its way to Memorial Hall Tuesday to cast their ballots. According to Town Clerk Nancy Burnham, 525 people took advantage of early voting, which began last Monday. Since this is the first year the practice was allowed in the primary, Burnham said there’s no way to know if the number of early voters can be considered few or unusually high in number.
Cheryl Jefferson, who took a Republican ballot, cast her vote for a candidate who wasn’t even listed. A registered nurse, Jefferson stopped at the polls after working overnight for a client in Westfield.
“I voted for my dog,” Jefferson said. “Out of all of them running, he’s the only one with common sense. Some of the things I heard from Bill Weld I didn’t care for, and I wasn’t going to vote for Trump come hell or high water. I figured by voting for my dog — Jack is his name — I’d split the Republican vote a little more.”
Jack is 70 in dog years, so he meets the age requirement for serving as president.
Former Athol Fire Chief Lee Lozier voted in the Democratic primary, casting his ballot for Joe Biden.
“I was looking at all of the candidates,” he said, “and when Klobuchar and Buttigieg dropped out and decided to support Biden, that was it. Before, there were too many people to choose from. I was glad it had been narrowed down.”
Heading into the polls, Marilyn Nelson said she was unsure which ballot she was going to take, or which candidate she was going to vote for.
“Definitely not Trump,” she said emphatically. “I’ll make my final decision when I get in there.”
Emily Lapinskas cast her ballot for Sanders. She said his stand on the issue of college loans is one reason she supports the Vermont senator.
“I have about $90,000 in student debt,” she said. “I guess there are a lot of reasons I support him, really — socially and fiscally. I went to UMass Amherst and there were a lot of Bernie rallies.”
On the corner just up the street from the Orange Armory, the town’s only voting site, people were holding signs for Sanders, Trump and Warren.
“We remain respectful,” said Tim Canning, who was holding a “Bernie 2020” sign.
Leaving the Armory after voting, Paul Talbot said he voted for Trump, even though the incumbent president has no serious challengers for the Republican nomination.
“You get an opportunity to vote, you should be out there voting,” Talbot said. “I think it’s important.”
Talbot said he used to be registered as an independent voter but had become increasingly unhappy with the Democrats, especially in the last eight years, and re-registered with the Republicans.
He said he is pleased with Trump’s presidency so far.
“His record is unprecedented,” Talbot said.
Peter Chobot also said he voted for Trump. In 2016, Chobot voted for Hillary Clinton, he said. But in Trump’s tax policies, Chobot, who runs his own business, pays $4,000 less than he used to, he said.
“That’s 4,000 reasons why I did it,” he said. “He’s the only president who ever did anything for a small company like me.”
Janet Marble said she voted for Biden because she wanted to return to the style of Barack Obama’s presidency. She specifically mentioned foreign policy as an area Biden would likely improve on.
She also said she liked him morally.
“I think he’s a decent man. He’s an honest man,” she said. “He’s married to a teacher.”
Jillian Whitney said she had been debating between Warren and Sanders. She went with Warren, thinking that she had better views on the environment and the economy. Whitney also mentioned that she had concerns over Sanders’ health, considering his age.
“I feel like she’s a stronger candidate,” Whitney said. “And, honestly, anyone to get Trump out.”