Afternoon Election Update

Without a national contest drawing in voters, Springfield polling places are reporting low to moderate turnout.

Volunteers at Springfield’s polling sites said that voters have been showing up steadily throughout the day. One volunteer attributed the level number of voters to how the Springfield School District had, for the first time, closed schools during election day. In prior years, there were rushes of parents voting after school ended.

Volunteers at the Sarah Bailey Center reported that 86 voters had cast ballots in one of the two districts the center covered.

Rosalee Berger, who was volunteering at Walton School, said the turnout was low but indicated enthusiasm was high.

“We had people lined up to vote when we opened,” she said. “But it was only three people.”

Noting it was an “off year,” without a national contest for voters to weigh in on, Springfield Township Attorney and General Assembly candidate Bruce Bergen predicted a low turnout overall, saying that Springfield’s final tally was likely to be less than 3,500 votes. 

Locally, two candidates are running for a single open seat on the Township Committee, Democrat Hugh Keffer and Republican Ziad Shehady. Bergen, a former chairman of the Township Democratic party, predicted a close race. 

"We're still making phone calls and we're getting a good response," Bergen said. "It's going to be a close election."