Evening star., 1946-11-05

More than 1900 votes, cast by
the voteless citizens of Washing
ton to show Congress they want
the right to vote, were reported
before noon today in partial re-
turns from the $50 polling places
of the Districts first election
day plebiscite.
The estimated 1900 votes repre-
sented the first hour of voting in
one-third of the precincts, two hours
of voting in a second third and the
first three hours of voting in the re-
manning third of the $50 polling
places.
Reports from the polling places
were staggered on an hourly basis
to prevent jamming the SWITCH
boards in the board room of the
District Building-nerve center OF
the plebiscite.
Although scores of voters were
waiting in line half an hour or more
before the polls opened at 9 am,
plebiscite officials expected the heav-
lest voting in the late afternoon and
early evening hours. The polls
close at 8 pm.
March to Polls On.
From the Maryland line to the
Potomac, the march to the polls
was on. In hospital wards, in uni
versity gymnasiums, in the city's
schools and churches, the people OF
Washington were observing this
election day in the only way open
to WashingtonianS>
This was the first time that the
voteless people of Washington were
voting-even in straw vote-on
the same day as their fellow Ameri-
cans. While the voters elsewhere
were selecting their representative
in Congress, WashingtonianS were
writing down the answers to these
questions:
do you want the right to vote
for officials of your own city gov
eminent in the District of Colum-
bia?"
DO you want the right to vote
for the President of the United
States and for members of Con-
gress from the District"
Judging from the impromptu
speeches the voters were making to
any one who would listen around
the polling places, it appeared that
the overwhelming majority would
answer yes to one or both questions.
Polls Running Smoothly"
After an early check of the polls,
James R. Kirland, chairman OF the
Plebiscite Rules Committee, report
ed the polls scattered through 81
precincts were running smoothly"
Among the early voters were Gov
ernment workers taking the "rea-
sonable amount of time off" granted
by President Truman to participate
in the straw vote; department store
employees who didn't have to report
for work until 1890 am.
At West School, Clifford H. Newell,
chairman of the Plebiscite Commit
tee on Precinct Organization and
newly elected president of the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations
looked up at the cloudless sky and
into the crowded polling place and
predicted:
There is no reason why we
shouIdn't have many more people
Que to vote than we expected. It's
a beautiful day. The crowd at my
home precinct was five times as big
as I expected with the opening OF
the polls"
In the anteroom of the District
Building, where battery of tele-
phones has been set up to take the
calls of would-be voters, the lights
on the switchboard started flashing
as early as am. Newspapers, too,
were swamped with calls from peo-
pie who wanted to know where to
vote.
Machinery Functions Smoothly.
Unaccustomed as the District is
to voting, there were few trouble
calls reaching the District Build
ing. The American University area
complained the ballot boxes bore
the wrong precinct numbers. Sup
plies had failed to reach Key
School. More clerks were needed
at other schools to meet the early
voting rush. In matter of min
utes the machinery of the plebiscite
was functioning smoothly.
Central High School reported one
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