The presidential election witnessed an increase in voter participation in some sections of Philadelphia, veteran observers said.
At the Norman Blumberg Apartments Community Center, Irene McDonald made sure that everyone who is registered to vote was voting.
“I have been a committee worker for over ten years,” McDonald said. “So I know most of the people in this district who are voting today.”
McDonald, serving as a poll worker, said that people coming in to cast their vote are not sure if they can vote because they have been receiving text messages telling them they can’t vote today without proper picture ID.
“Some people are coming in here scared they can’t vote. But they can even if they forget their ID” McDonald said expressing her opinion that Republicans are trying to scare people from voting for the Democratic Party.
“This is the highest turn out for an election I have ever seen” McDonald said.
U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-Phila) agreed with McDonald that the numbers of voters seemed higher today compared to presidential elections in the past.
“It you vote straight party today, it will count for your candidate” Fattah said addressing text messages and telephone calls falsely warning people against casting straight party line votes.
When asked about Pennsylvania’s controversial Voter ID law and problematic issues evolving from it, Fattah said that the issue had been resolved by the courts, at least for now.
“My mother is in her 80’s and has only her work ID and a social security card, and she has always voted with that,” Fattah said. “I don’t really see this voter ID issue actually going any further in the near future.”
Fattah is convinced that Republicans tried to scare people away from voting but thinks those initiatives had an opposite effect.
“The Republican’s attempt to bring about this voter ID issue only energized more people to come out and vote and vote Democratic” Fattah said.
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