Elections 2012: Slow Morning at the Polls in Brentwood Wards 1 and 4

Just after 6 a.m. on Tuesday, and shared a bench outside in Brentwood, the polling place for Brentwood’s Ward 1.

Voters started arriving as the sun rose, but not at a great pace. Ninety-five had voted by 9:30.

Though Bischoff and Saunders said they were there for the day, family and supporters kept them going with trips to and .

While the candidates admitted that election day is long, they said they're happy it's finally here.

“I’m glad it’s over, I think that’s the general consensus,” Bischoff said.

The night before, Saunders had similar comments.

“I don’t like the ugliness,” she said. Saunders said she was a little anxious about the election, which she didn’t expect.

The contested Ward 1 race brought two first-time voters, Addison Hembree and Paige Anderson, out to vote.

Hembree, 18, cast his vote for Maureen Saunders. He agreed with his mother, Christie Hembree, that Suanders' experience over the last year made her the best qualified.

Anderson and her parents, Marcy and Tom, are neighbors with Saunders. All three voted for her, though they said they're friends with Bishoff, and they feel good about either candidate.

Ward 1 resident Mary Eschbach was concerned about a malfunctioning electronic voting machine. She said the paper feed wasn’t working, so her vote was recorded on the computer chip, but not on paper.

She said she voted at 7:57 a.m., and could see who the 7:42 person had voted for. It hadn’t changed. She asked to have her vote voided, and voted again using the old technology.

“It’s just a glitch on a machine, but I wish they’d fix it,” she said.

At the clubhouse, Ward 4 residents had their choice of incumbent , and Patrick Toohey.

Bierman was disappointed with the turnout in the fourth ward, though with 75 votes cast by 1 p.m., it's hard to say how it would turn out historically.

Last year, Kramer collected 144 votes in an unopposed election. The year before, Krewson narrowly defeated Bierman in a race that tallied 273 total votes.

By camparison:

In Ward 1 last year, Anthony Harper won with 335 votes in an uncontested election. Barbara Clements won the year before that with 365.

In Ward 2 last year, Lee Wynn beat Brandon Wegge with 326 votes cast. Michael Marshall won the year before that with 276 votes.

In Ward 3 last year, Keith Robertson won with 209 votes in an uncontested election. Andy Leahy won the year before that with 256 votes.

Did you cast a ballot during today's municipal election? Let us know in the comments.