Update: Voters Trickle in to the Polls for Democratic Primary

Update: The precinct reports that 238 people had voted there as of 1:20 p.m. - 181 Democrats and 57 Republicans.

That's about 5 percent of its registered voters, according to precinct Chief Election Officer Bob Hardiman. In the last primary, Hardiman's precinct saw a total of 190 votes.

He said one person had been "vociferously against" the new paper ballots, complaining of difficulty and length of time to fill in the rectangular area marking a vote. Nine people had opted to use an electronic machine, he said.

Roving CEO Bruce Dwyer said filling in the rectangles is better than a check or X mark, which can lead to errors on a ballot through stray marks on the page.

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Voting stations have not been seeing the "gush" of voters they had expected on Tuesday morning but it's better than last year's primary.

As of about 9 a.m., 120 Alexandrians had voted at Agudas Achim. As of about 10:45 a.m., 40 Republicans and 196 Democrats had voted at .

City Hall Chief Election Officer Jeff Herre said about 8 percent of voters registered in the precinct had voted, and the number rose to 12 percent counting the 110 absentee ballots.

Many Republicans are voting as Democrats, City Hall voting staff said.

Alexandrians also are experiencing new paper ballots this election.

"We've had much enthusiasm for the paper ballots and no problems," Herre said.

Diane Crawford-Batt, the mother-in-law of City Council candidate Justin Wilson, was stationed in front of Agudas, handing out campaign literature.

Wilson "is very well-prepared, interested and knowledgeable and he really knows the budget," she said. "He's respected by the people who work for the city."

Paul Smedberg's campaign manager, Andy Duncan, said he's a supporter of the incumbent councilman because of his "integrity and his ability to make good, thoughtful decisions."

"Even if he makes a decision I don't agree with, I know I can be comfortable with it because he is so thorough in understanding an issue," Duncan said.

Dan Moshenberg, husband of Council candidate Sammie Moshenberg and treasurer of her campaign, also was offering literature, including postcards to inquisitive kids.

Karen DeYoung, the precinct captain for the Alexandria Republican City Committee, joined her fellow politicos at Agudas. She supports Republicans because they "tend to be more fiscally conservative and help stop the endless spending on Council," DeYoung said.

Republican Councilman Frank Fannon told Patch around 7:15 a.m. outside that he planned on hitting every one of the city’s polling stations on Tuesday as voters made their selections in the and the and council.

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