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Heavy Turnout In South Shore Precincts

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By LOIS KINDLE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2008

5:24 p.m.: At Precinct 939, the Apollo Beach Community Church, poll deputy Daniel McCarthy said turnout has been very heavy today, and it's getting busier as the day goes on. He did not know exactly how many people had voted.

First-time voter Sophia Lawser, of Apollo Beach, wouldn't say who she had voted for, but she said the economy was the most important issue to her. She feels the country is in more of a crisis than ever before, and hopes the next president can help fix it.

Voter Jeff Adkins expected to wait in a long line, but he was in and out in 10 minutes. He also declined to say which candidate he supports for president, but cited the troubled economy as one of his top issues, in addition to the marriage amendment.

At the Gardenville Recreation Center in Gibsonton, the polling place for precincts 940, 942 and 956, an estimated 750 people had voted by 5 p.m., poll deputy Kathleen Yoakum said. The pace seemed to be picking up, though, as the parking lot was packed and a traffic jam had formed.

Rhett Nowotny of Gibsonton said he voted for Chuck Baldwin and Darrell Castle, who are running for president and vice president on the Constitution Party ticket. Nowotny said he chose the minor-party candidates because they abide by the Constitution, and he feels the media have pushed John McCain and Barack Obama.

Nowotny's wife, April, took a more mainstream approach, casting her ballot for McCain. She said she didn't like Obama at all because she sees him as favoring redistribution of wealth along with gay marriage and abortion.

Twenty-one-year-old Laura Johnson, who was voting in her first presidential election, supported Obama. She said she likes his outlook and thinks he is the right person to bring about change.

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