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The long-standing tradition of high turnout by Westport voters in presidential elections continued Tuesday. Eighty-three percent of the town's registered voters cast a ballot on Election Day, according to the Town Clerk's office. While not as high as the 86 percent rate posted during the 2008 election, Tuesday's turnout by town voters totaled at least 10 percentage points higher than the voting participation rate in Westport in any gubernatorial or town election since 1988.
Throughout Election Day, the Westport News conducted informal exit interviews at the town's four polling stations to find out voters' top issues and for whom they cast a ballot. The following is a sampling of those interviews.
VIRNA BROOKS, 51
Professor,
Voted for Barack Obama
Top issues: Health care, women's rights
On the Affordable Care Act: "Anyone who's in the industry knows that it is needed. It's actually sad -- anyone who loses their job and loses their insurance, that's it, they're done.
On Obama: "Give him time to get things where they actually should be. If not, we'd go back in the next four years and start over."
On women's rights: "There's too much to be worrying about. Let me worry about my body and you can worry about politics. I'll worry about my body and my decisions and the government can worry about its role in planning the income tax."
VINCE WAHN, 77
Retired consultant
Voted for Mitt Romney
Top issue: Economy
On Romney: "He has more business experience. And he certainly has notable experience in working with both parties.
"We need change -- no doubt about it. We need a change in the presidency and we need to vote for people in the Senate and the Congress who will be cooperative. If we have a Republican president, we need a Republican Senate and Congress."
JEFF PASS, 24
Engineer
Voted for Obama
Top issues: Health care, middle-class taxes
On Obama: "It was really just about representing the middle class in the way that I'd want to be represented. Considering what he (Obama) was dealt with, I'd give him probably a seven out of 10."
On his vote for McMahon: "I feel like she (McMahon) is going to be a better representative. Chris Murphy didn't attend a lot of the meetings from what they say, and that's kind of the point.
ELLEN MEEHAN, 55
Sales
Voted for Romney
Top issue: Economy
On the economy: "I have a friends who are unemployed and I'm concerned that all these kids coming out of college won't be able to find jobs. I'm concerned that this country won't be a power anymore economically. He (Romney) is a businessman and that's what we need in the White House.
MARCY HARDT, 67
Volunteer math tutor
Voted for Obama
Top issues: Economy, energy and women's rights
On Obama: "He believes in a woman's right to choose and equal pay and has just a general sense of understanding where women are in the 21st century.
"He [Obama] has turned it around, slowly. There's been a very obstructionist Congress. And that doesn't mean that I think Obama has done as much as I would have liked him to do, but I think it was a very clear choice.
TOM BARRECA, 48
Television executive
Voted for Obama
Top issues: Women's rights, education, health care
On Obama: "I'd give him a B/B+."
On his vote for Linda McMahon: "She's a fierce independent, despite being part of the Republican Party. I like her independent streak."
RICHARD BRASWELL, 58
Retired engineer
Voted for Romney
Top issues: Economy, defense
"I think his [Romney's] military stance is probably better, as is his economic policy, especially with China. He's against them stealing our intellectual property and, being a patent holder myself, I don't like that they steal our intellectual property."
SARAH MANNING, 35
Mother
Voted for Obama
Top issues: Women's rights, gay marriage rights, economy, the "ridiculous" deficit
"I voted for Obama, but that's a big amount of money that he spent that we don't have. I'm not thrilled."
pschott@bcnnew.com; 203-255-4561, ext. 118; twitter.com/paulschott
