Spirits were high at Kahler Hall in Columbia on Election Night, as hundreds of Democrats gathered to revel and watch election results stream in on three large TVs. Throughout the overall celebratory din, sporadic applause erupted as news networks delivered nationwide results.

During speeches at about 9:30 p.m. the revelers were confident enough to start celebrating the historic victory by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who swept past Arizona Sen. John McCain to become the first African-American president of the United States.

Not long after that, Obama stood before an estimated crowd of 150,000 people in Grant Park in Chicago and said, "We are and always will be the United States of America." He also said, "Change has come to America."
 
Back in Columbia, State Del. Guy Guzzone, a Columbia Democrat, was trying to bring context to Obama's victory. “This has been an extraordinary campaign, one like I’ve never been involved with before. There’s much more to be said, much more, but I don’t know if I’m the one to say it. We did it, though. We did it. We did it.”

County Executive Kenneth Ulman, also a Democrat, said he was excited to see Obama elected as the first African-American president.

“This nation has caught up to our values in Howard County,” he said. “Let this be the beginning and not the end.”

The results brought tears to the eyes of Columbia resident Mary Marker, who helped coordinate the county’s Obama campaign along with resident Monica Fabbri.

“We’re just part of a grassroots organization that felt very strongly about electing Barack,” she said. “We all took a piece of this. It’s been a long road.”

“We had one hell of an evening,” party chairman Michael McPherson said.

The atmosphere was much different for about 100 people gathered at the Republican Party Headquarters in North Laurel to watch election returns on a TV screen projected on a wall as they listened to a mix of mostly 80s songs and nibbled on food from a buffet.

As Obama began pulling ahead of McCain, the mood became more somber among some in the crowd and eventually people slowly trickled out, leaving a small group behind when Obama was declared the winner.

“It’s been a rocky road,” acknowledged Joan Becker, chair of the Howard County Republican Central Committee.

It had been a long day for Howard County voters, one that began with long lines and chilly temperatures before rain moved into the area.

Clarksville resident Carolyn Jordan Alexander planted herself under a tree in the parking lot of Clarksville Middle School for hours to stump for Obama. The rain couldn’t dampen her political enthusiasm, she said, adding that she’s made a habit of supporting her favorite candidates ever since she volunteered at a South Carolina phone bank for former Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern in 1972 when she was still in high school and too young to vote.

Alexander, who holds a degree in social work, said she supported Obama because he’s a “change agent.”

“He got my attention because he’s a community organizer,” she said. “People who are community organizers — they go where their heart tells them. They’re committed to change.”

Nickki Johnson, 34, of Elkridge brought her two 13-year-old children along with her to her polling place at Elkridge Landing Middle School in part because of the historic nature of the event, but also to inspire them, she said. “This is history in the making,” said Johnson, an Obama supporter. “I want them to see and be a part of it.”

She said she supported Obama’s views on alternative energy, taxes, health care and the economy, but also liked that he came from humble beginnings. “He was just an average guy and he worked his way up to the top,” she said. “It gives me hope that my son could make it that far.”

Paul Greene, 66, of Ellicott City, an employee at Van Dyke and Bacon Shoes, has never missed voting in a national election since he was 21. He injured his leg recently and had to use a walker and the help of his wife, Faye, to get to the polling place at Waverly Woods Elementary School. He voted for Obama.

"I didn't make up my mind 'til the last minute," he said. "I would've voted for (John) McCain. I like what he's done as a person. But I voted for Obama mainly because of (Alaska Gov. Sarah) Palin. I just don't go for hockey moms for vice president."

Added his wife, Faye: "I hope Obama appreciates it." She also said, "We didn't like how nasty the McCain campaign was getting, either."

William Jones, 71, of Elkridge, said he has been a lifelong Republican and was torn about whom to vote for. He remained undecided up until the last minute, he said, before deciding to vote for Obama. “I was undecided driving down,” he said. “When I parked, I’d made up my mind.”

Ultimately, McCain’s age and his vice presidential pick were deal breakers for him, he said. “McCain did two things that changed my mind,” he said. “He turned 72 and he picked Palin.”

Said Joanne Locke, 60, of Ellicott City, who volunteered for Obama's campaign -- the first campaign she has volunteered for: “If he runs the country like he’s run this election, we’re in good shape.”

Chase Valentine, 45, of Ellicott City, who's in the environmental consulting business, chose Obama "because of his message of change. I like his anti-war message, health-care reform plan, and his message of inclusion. When I saw his rallies at the DNC, the crowds were so diverse."

Another Obama supporter, Tom DeBoissiere, 48, of Columbia, said: “I couldn’t stand another four to eight years of what Bush did.”

Chad Galford, of Woodstock, a first-time voter at 18, voted for Obama, too, but saw more than change. "I believe he brings hope, not so much change, but hope,” Asked about his first time being allowed to vote, Galford said, ‘I think it’s pretty special because it’s a huge election.”

Nancy Villella, 48, of Ellicott City, a registered dietician, also voted for Obama. "We see him as hope for the future who can right the wrongs that have been committed during the past eight years. I'm ready for a change."

When asked whom she had voted for, Barbara Gumpert, 54, of Ellicott City, said, "Are you kidding? I voted for Barack Obama."

The election ran smoothly but was not without its problems. Barbara Schnackenberg, co-president of the Howard County League of Women Voters, said that several of the organization’s voters' guides had been distributed around Elkridge before the election with neo-Nazi circulars placed in them. The league had reported the problem to police, she said.

“It just looks really bad for the league; we’re victims here,” she said.

Guy Mickley, deputy director of the Howard County Board of Elections, said that about 24 people were caught in a mixup at polling stations at Ilchester Elementary School and Bonnie Branch Middle School in Ellicott City before polls polls opened. Some voters assigned to the schools, which are close to each other, ended up in the wrong school, and at Ilchester Elementary School, some voters assigned to the cafeteria ended up in the line for the gym and vice versa, he said.

Judge greeters assigned to the polls to deal with these kind of issues started working the lines at 7 a.m. and sorted out the problems quickly, Mickley said.

Reporters Jenni Choi, Medina Roshan, Mike Santa Rita, Derek Simmonsen and Joe Vassalotti contributed to this story.

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user comments (2)

user beatendowntaxpayer says...

Ken Ulman says: “This nation has caught up to our values in Howard County,” he said. “Let this be the beginning and not the end.” this is the most arrogant, egotistical elitist statement I've heard him say, and that's saying a lot. to say that the rest of the country has "raised" its values because now he agrees with what happened, especially when his "values" are an intrusive, bloated government which takes away freedoms of the individual and substantially raises taxes to build his own power and wealth, is patently ridiculous.

Posted 5:35 PM, 11.05.08

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user eliahu says...

I really appreciate what George Bush did to disable the Republican Party. Too bad for McCain, the Administration's shadow cut right across his political visage and not even the effervescent Palin could obscure Obama. Now if we could only oust Pelose (what a disappointment), Obama's Administration might accomplish some real pivotal changes.

Posted 5:47 PM, 11.05.08

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