Martha’s Vineyard voters head to polls

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Note: We’ll be updating this post throughout the day today.

Voters headed to the polls at the Public Safety Building in West Tisbury to cast their primary votes.

Registered Republicans will vote in the Republican primary, Democrats will vote in the Democratic primary and unenrolled voters can choose a ballot and will remain unenrolled after voting. There is also a Libertarian ballot for those so inclined, but the only candidate is Daniel Fishman for auditor.

Richard Andre and Jefferson Munroe, both friends and supporters of T. George Davis, candidate for Dukes County Clerk of Courts, stood outside the polling place with signs, waving at cars as they drove by. Davis is running against Charles Morano for superior court clerk’s job to replace longtime clerk Joseph Sollitto, who is retiring.

“He’s just a really good guy,” Munroe said of Davis. “He’s the kind of person you want in government.”

Before voting, Susan Feller said she’s concerned it’ll be a light turnout. “At least show up,” she said. “It shows we care.”

There is also a Dukes County race for register of probate between Daphne DeVries and Gail Barmakian.

DeVries and her sisters, Heidi Arnold and Leslie Blake, as well as her campaign manager Lisa Murphy, were making their rounds at polling places Tuesday. Outside the Oak Bluffs polling place at the library, DeVries and her support group were in good spirits, and hopeful for a win.

“She is ready,” Murphy said. “She’s worked really hard and we’re hopeful for a positive outcome.”

Recent Charter School graduate and activist Keith Chatinover, who organized the student trip to D.C. for the March for Our Lives in March, stopped by the Oak Bluffs library to check out the voting scene. Chatinover is running a write-in campaign for Dukes County commissioner; he decided to run Monday night, and texted his contact list and posted on Facebook that he was running, and asked for votes. With four candidates on the ballot, Chatinover only needs 25 write-in votes to win one of the seven spots available.

“I want the government to work for the people,” Chatinover told the Times outside the polls. “[it] needs modernized and needs to function better.”

“I got one vote at least!” he said, in reference to himself.

Another Oak Bluffs voter, E.C., who declined to give her full name, walked out of the voting booth beaming with hope.

“It’s just wonderful to be able to vote,” she said. “That’s America. Young people will carry forth; it’s a new era.”