Polls are slow on election day

GLENDALE — It was the most heated campaign season for Glendale in recent memory, but for the most part, that fire didn’t transfer to the polls Tuesday.

Overall, it was a slow election day with relatively low voter turnout, precinct inspector Sunnye Chew said.

“We were definitely not busy this afternoon,” said Chew, who oversaw the polling location at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Central Avenue. She said people don’t check their sample ballots and, as a result, don’t know the location of their polling place.

With three incumbents and 12 candidates running for City Council, voters had a wide array of choices.

“There are too many candidates, and there are few that are qualified,” said Rubik Davtian, a building supplier.

One voter said candidates’ individual efforts made him feel obligated to vote.

“Three candidates have stopped by my house,” said Robert Bush, a Glendale business owner.

“I’m concerned about the historic preservation of the city and the bad traffic, and that’s why I came out and voted,” he said. “It’s not up to us to vote for certain measures. It’s something the City Council should take care of — and I’m here to elect them.”

Resident Danny Accomando said he is sticking by those who have served the council for years.

“The candidates are the same people I’ve been voting for a while, and I want to see them stay in,” he said.

While some took to the polls to vote for a specific candidate, David Bryce, a retired Caltrans worker, said race played an integral role in his decision.

“There are too many -ians” at the ends of candidates’ surnames, Bryce said. “I want to find the Jones, Smiths and Browns of Glendale.”

He wants to see fewer Armenians in Glendale public office, he said.

Tensions have been present in the political arena against Armenians in Glendale during the past decade, said Eric Hacopian, a political consultant who oversees campaigns around Southern California.

“There is a lot of resentment for Armenians and Armenians running for office and for the political influence that Armenian voters and the community has gained in the past 10 years,” he said.

More than half of the candidates running for office this election are of Armenian descent.