H eadlines
Election Continued from Page 1
that were scanned. The crowds,
at least early on, were subdued.

And it’s hard to put it into
words, but it just felt a bit
different. Those who arrived promptly
at 7 a.m. to vote at the Narberth
Municipal Building waited 50
minutes to do so, fortified, if
they so chose, by granola bars
handed out by a Democratic
committeewoman. By the time
those early arrivals voted and
were ready to leave, the lines
were largely gone.

Over at Penn Wynne
Elementary School
in Wynnewood, the Republican
and Democratic committee-
people assumed their traditional
spots on opposite sides of the
entrance — with one change:
They were asked to stay outside
instead of setting up in the
school’s lobby like usual.

“Everybody’s in a good
mood,” said Republican
committeeman Mike Adler,
who noted that he enjoys
Election Day to catch up with
neighbors. “This is usually a
friendly polling place.”
Across the way, Democratic
volunteer Elaine Roseman said
she’s noticed some changes.

“People are anxious. They
have PTSD from 2016,” she
said. “And the mail-in ballots
have really changed things.

There’s less conversation.

People are in and out.”
A few blocks away at Penn
Wynne Library, a lengthy line
remained two hours after polls
opened. Nicola Hill of Wynnewood
said she waited in line 90
minutes to vote.

“One thing different for
me this year was seeing voter
protection,” she said, refer-
ring to poll watchers stationed
outside the building.

Hill said the election
energized her family, including
husband Eric Weinberg, whose
father, Martin, normally served
as a poll worker, but declined
to do so this year because of
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Voters wait their turn in a line outside the Narberth Municipal Building on
Election Day,
Photo by Andy Gotlieb
the pandemic. Eric Weinberg
underwent the training and
replaced his father at a Bryn
Mawr polling location.

Voting traffic was fairly
light in the morning in Mt.

Airy, a neighborhood where
many residents had voted early.

At Germantown Jewish
Centre, a couple of women
stood outside and asked a
poll worker some clarifying
questions. Once they got the
answers, he said, “Come on in,”
and they went inside to vote.

There was no line, only a single
campaign-hired poll observer
who sat against a tree outside,
bundled up against the chill.

Nearby polling places,
like Action Karate off of
Germantown Avenue, had a
clutch of voters waiting outside
along with the poll observers
in their folding chairs. There
were plenty of signs about
COVID precautions, and hand
sanitizer was everywhere in
evidence. At the Commodore John
Barry Arts and Cultural Center,
Rabbi Alan LaPayover, director
of the Goldyne Savad Library
Center at Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College, was
working the polls.

Part of the Philadelphia
City Commissioners’ Rover
Program, LaPayover was
there, he said, to help move the
lines, answer voter questions
and address any problems the
judges of elections might have.

“It’s just to help the elections
move smoothly,” he said.

When asked if his Judaism
informed his Election Day
work, he said, “Absolutely,
absolutely. It’s a responsi-
bility to participate in society
and voting is one of the best
ways we can do that. It’s very
important to make sure that
everyone votes and we make
sure the elections go smoothly
and safely.”
It would be a long day for
LaPayover, who had already been
mistaken for Bernie Sanders
more than once; with his mask
on, there was a distinct resem-
blance. A fellow poll worker even
tricked a family member into
believing it was Bernie.

At 7:30 a.m., the line outside
of Tacony Academy Charter
School in Fox Chase snaked
through the parking lot, the
tip of the tail regenerated every
few minutes by a steady stream
of cars pulling in. A persistent
wind kept the lot cold even as
the sun started to peek over
the trees.

Bruce Blady came over
from Congregation Ahavas
Torah, across Rhawn Street,
where he’d just been at a
bris. Now, Blady said, he was
ready to take part in a more
contemporary duty, even if the
line was at least four times
See Election, Page 21
JEWISH EXPONENT
Rabbi Alan LaPayover works the polls in Mt. Airy as part of the
Philadelphia City Commissioners’ Rover Program. 
Photo by Bradley Maule
The Election Day scene at Germantown Jewish Centre
Photo by Bradley Maule
Don’t Schlep It, Ship It! Free Pick Up Available!
No matter whether it’s golf clubs, good china,
priceless art, oversized luggage –
if you can point to it, we can ship it!
If it’s valuable to you, it’s valuable to us. The
US Mailroom picks up, packs, and ships items
of all shapes and sizes, getting your packages
from where they are to where they need to be.

We cater especially to “snowbirds” as the cold
weather approaches.

Call us today at 610-668-4182
or visit our store in Bala Cynwyd, PA.

For more information,
email info@usmailroom.com
or go to www.usmailroom.com
Est.1988 NOVEMBER 5, 2020
17