I voted, 28th ward, one voting screen/machine, and it was just getting free when I needed it. No other voters in the place, about three electioneers outside, not sure who for.

I voted against the fee increase for businesses because the city needs a revenue stream overhaul that includes getting away from the earnings tax. This fee increase is not the way to go if that end is to be met. I would only become, as Ed "Too Tall" Jones says, a co-dependent enabler.

i voted in the 16th on the diebold. at least i could read a print out before it disappeared into the machine.

peter downs was outside greeting voters...

I voted in the 8th. No Clinkscale or Buford signs, plenty of Downs Jones signs. No Clinkscale or Buford poll workers. One person for Downs and Jones, though.

Just came from working Busch School in St. Louis Hills in the 16th Ward. It is one of the biggest polls (4 prcnts) in one of the biggest turnout wards. We had 75-90 voters by 8:45.

In Ward 5, I voted by filling in a circle next to each of my choices. Yep, the Diebold screen was not working.

One other person was voting when I came in, and no other voters arrived by the time when I left.

Outside was a man handing out the teachers' union flier for Downs and Jones and a womanhanding out the 5th Ward Democrats' flier supporting the quixotic combination of Clinkscale and Clark.

I've heard mixed reviews on the machines (working/not working) so far, but pretty unanimously good reviews on the election judges (helpful/competent/present.

Clinkscale and Clark? LOL, Michael. That would scramble everybody's eggs.

Just got done voting in the 7th Ward, 6th precinct, and I was voter 47.

I only saw two campaigns being represented at the poll, one for the Mayor's endorsed slate of Clinkscale and Buford and two guys that were getting petitions signed to move Mardi Gras from Soulard (I would have signed it, but there were no beads involved.)

The machines worked nicely and the poll workers were more than helpful.

15th ward -- Mann School -- signs for both camps were outside and machines worked well. And it was at Mann School, so no threat of lead poisoning from the windows.

Clark is the son of well-known former alderman Joseph W. B. Clark, whose ward may well have been the 5th. Interesting that he nabs an endorsement from an organization that was otherwise supporting the Slay slate. (The Slayte candidate not endorsed was Republican Jim Buford.)

Clark is rumored to be a stalking horse to draw votes away from the anti-incumbent Downs-Jones team. How ironic that, in the 5th Ward, he could draw establishment votes away from Buford.

Nevertheless, I still think Buford's community name recognition and respect will cause him to outpoll Clinkscale, especially on the north side, and that Downs and Buford will be the "odd couple" winners today.

I voted in the 5th ward around 10AM-ish, a while after Michael did. No one approached me with literature (I only saw one campaign worker and he was approaching a van that had just pulled up.), but since I was walking I was not taking the standard route in to the building.

The touchscreen was still not working, so I used the "fill in the bubbles" sheet as well. There was only one pen available between the three voting stalls, but I was the only one there to vote at the moment. When I fed my sheet into the machine, one of the judges said, "It's working good now! We had a lot of problems with it earlier."

"What kind of problems?" I asked.

"We had a lot of problems with it earlier."

Uhhh, yeah, that's not extremely disturbing or anything....

Oracle, I have to disagree with you. I believe this year we will see results and turnout much like last year. Peter was last on the ballot and got about 9800 votes, which I would say is the true representative number of teacher's union/coalition of the pissed off voters.

Remember, Veronica and Purdy were one and two on the ballot, which gave them a boost over Peter's numbers(Veronica 15K, Purdy 12K, Peter 9.8K). Also, if you examine Flint Fowler's numbers, he had a solid showing north (Prominent position in the African American community) and south (support of the Mayor), but never blew anyone out of the water. I forsee Northsiders more willing to back a combination of the other black candidates over Peter.

I predict that the results will fall in line as,

Buford
Clinkscale
Downs
Jones
Clark

and it will be close, too close to predict numbers, but in the end I think it will be the ballot placement that makes the difference for Buford and Clinkscale.

What do you think of that asessment?

It is a beautiful day to vote, especially in University City. Mayor Joe Adams has been visiting polling places, residents' homes', and travelling throughout the city enjoying the day and encouraging citizens to excercise their right to vote!!!!!!!

Since you asked, I think Downs will improve on his old numbers. He now has greater credibility and name recognition, and I think the anti-Downs mailings will backfire.

In U City, if Shelley Welsch and her cadre of establishment Democrat supporters knock off Mayor Joe Adams, Democrats will have to deal with a large resentment problem in their African American base. McCaskill supporters better be rooting for Adams.

I'm with the southsider on this one. The power of the top of the ballot is incredible. And maybe Pater Downs has more name rec this year, but definately not more credibility - especially not after that tidbit in the Evening Whilr. Quite disturbing.

Oracle I had heard the Joe Clark was Rodney Hubbard's father in law. If that's true that could explain how he got "an endorsement from an organization that was otherwise supporting the Slay slate"

Along with McCaskill, Fraser should be hoping for a win by Adams today as well.

How does one get the top slot on the ballot?

I voted just before 2:00 at St Marks Episcopal Church in the 16th Ward, and was the 181st voter in a precinct of about 1000 registered voters. That's shamefully low, but probably well ahead of most other city precincts, where turnout is even worse. That bodes well for the Slay slate, which needs a big vote in southwest city.

I used the touch screen machine, and it worked beautifully. If it really counts the votes that are actually cast, it will be great.

And I get my news from more reliable sources than the Evening Whirl.

Wondering, in st. louis you get top ballot position by being the first one in line at the board of election when filing opens.

I voted in the 17th Ward at West Pine Apartments. There was a touch screen, but no one used it, nor did anyone offer me the choice of using it.

Well, Oracle, it is a matter of public record, but I guess facts don't interest you.

What was in the Whirl? I didn't read it.

I trust MayorSlay.com more than I trust the Evening Whirl!

Here's one...

I vote, like Dave, in the 8th ward. My Republican poll worker, bless her, is a woman of some advanced age. She's unable to really explain the situation to me, which comes after searching for my name in the rolls for an uncomfortable length of time. Meantime, I'm in line behind a considerable, aged group of voters, two of whom are literally being held up by other poll workers, lest they fall.

My poll worker eventually tells me to help myself to a paper ballot, which I have to physically secure, as she can't get out of her seat. To do this, I actually go behind their counters, to tear a sheet from the rubber-bound stack. There's zero question in my mind that I could tear off one, two or 20 of these, but I play fair and grab a single. From there, she once again confuses me with procedural elements, on whether I can simply go to that trash-compactor-like contraption, or whether I definitely need to touch in.

I plan on calling the Board of Election Commissioners tomorrow to report this poll worker, who clearly needs to be relieved of her duties; I'm assuming, of course, that no action will be taken and I'll see her confused and vexed face the next election cycle.

(And we're going to ensure clean, smooth, fair voting in, say, Tikrit? Okee.)

Thomas, what you describe is a very real problem inside our polling places here in the City. You, however, actually have the power to be part of the solution. When you make that call to the Board of Election Commissioners tomorrow, you should volunteer to be an election judge next time around.

I happened to be handing out sample ballots for Downs and Jones at Cleveland NJROTC (25th Ward, 1st and 4th precincts). It was an interesting experience. One Franciscan monk took the sample ballot and commented on what has happened to the school district, calling it piracy, the high salaries, the closing of schools, the outside contracts, etc. Honestly, these were his words and his perceptions.

Then an elderly man arrived who could barely speak English (perhaps a Russian, Bosnian, or Serbian background?). He was so angry that he received literature telling him not to vote for someone (Downs) which made him decide to vote for the man he was told not to vote for. So much for negative campaigning!

I wouldn't begin to guess how the election will turn out.

At notingham school Derio Gambaro and Amber Boykin were seen greeting voters as they exited the school.

Thomas situation is not an uncommon occurence in the City. Although I think it's improved in the past few years with a greater emphasis on training. The problem in the City is there are not enough Republican's volunteering to serve. Many of those that work the polls are not even Republicans anyways. If Thomas is not a Republican, or at least conservative, his volunteering to serve will not really help the situation.

Chris, I appreciate your point but in my experience the Election Board needs younger, smart, competent, and engaged election judges from both parties.

After standing from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. handing out sample ballots to city voters in the 25th ward yesterday, I returned home stiff with bones aching, but spirit hopeful--hopeful because of what some voters willingly expressed.

One incident that was very telling was when a man arrived to vote. He barely spoke English. His accent indicated to me he was perhaps from Russia or the Baltic area. His facial expression denoted both anger and delight. He told us that when he received literature telling him to vote against someone (Peter Downs), he decided then he would vote for him. He said, "Who do they think they are to tell people who to vote against?"

This morning I awoke to learn there was indeed an upset in the city board of education election. The biggest victory in my opinion is that money is not always the deciding factor in a race. In fact, I believe some south side citizens became suspect of so much money being poured into a local school board election.

I am so pleased that two parents of children who attend the city schools have a seat at the table where the most important decisions take place. I believe with all my heart that this will improve the future of children attending those schools and that staff, educators and support staff, will be respected, appreciated, and recognized for their yeoman's efforts under commonly and frequently difficult circumstances. Additionally, other parents and community members will find a board that will give appropriate attention to their concerns. The arrogance of power and a "I know better than you" attitude will not prevail, as it has in recent years.

The Post states: "Activist Peter Downs and parent Donna Jones..." Peter Downs is first and foremost a parent, a father of children in the district. In that regard he and Donna Jones should share the same title. Why is it so difficult for fathers to get the respect they merit?

It also states: "A pair of challengers unseated two incumbents on the St. Louis School Board, a vote which will shift the controlling majority of the board and could have broad implications for the future of the district." A school board is not partisan congress or a partisan Missouri legislature. The problem is "a majority bloc," rather than men and women with mutual respect working together for the benefit of childen.

Is this a victory to savor? Indeed it is! It is a victory over the intrusion of big money for self-interest purposes, a victory over smear campaigning, and a victory over marginalizing parents in what is perhaps the most important aspect and foundation of their children's lives and futures--their education.

Consequentially, it is also a win for employees of the district who have worked under so much oppression and lack of respect.

Lastly, St. Louis just experienced a tremor of consequence that it too should consider a victory! And to think that Donna Jones didn't even have $3,000 to work with, but they both had the good will of so many on their side.

Helen Louise, your analysis is right on the money!

Southsider, your predictions were right on one count and one count only: Clark finished last. Some call him a "spoiler" as well as a "stalking horse."

Thanks Brownie. Hopefully, more of the money will get to the school sites occupied by the children and staff who need all the help they can get.

I just received the following message addressed to the superintendent and the board from someone at Stevens Middle School: "Yesterday two teachers were assaulted at Stevens Middle. One was knocked down in hall way and the other was literally assaulted by a student. One teacher suffered an injured arm. Both will probably be out on workmans compensation, and both will have to be replaced with substitutes or distributed among other teachers (causing even more instability). We told you the students were out of control and do not respect adults. We also asked you to take a closer look at your principal Laura Washington who, sets the tone of the school, and likewise do not respect teachers."

A Democrat poll worker at the 25th ward yesterday told me they had a child at Stevens Middle and the principal falsified their report cards. When she and her husband went to the school to sit in the class, they understood why their child said he couldn't learn there. They took their child out of Stevens. The disruptive students had taken over the classroom. No teacher, no parent, no city leader can control a classroom that has too many students and too many disruptive and violent students. Less money needs to be spent at the top on so many high salaries, and more staff are needed in the schools where the action is.