The Pittsburgh Press (November 7, 1944)
Big cities cast record vote
War workers crowd polls; strong rural balloting indicated
By Lyle C. Wilson, United Press staff correspondent
New York –
Some of the heaviest voting in history, despite the absence of men in the Armed Forces, was reported today from industrial centers of this nation which is choosing between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Thomas E. Dewey in the first wartime presidential election since 1864.
War workers crowded the polls in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Nashville, Houston, Dallas and other cities as soon as the voting places opened. Fair weather over most of the country was also expected to bring out a strong rural vote.
First returns came from the rural Nutbush precinct of Vance County, North Carolina, where the 21 registered voters cast their ballots unanimously for President Roosevelt, and from Mashpee, Massachusetts, where complete returns gave Roosevelt 81 votes and Dewey 89.
Boston reported the total vote running ahead of 1940 throughout New England, particularly in the industrial areas.
Detroit officials estimated that city would poll 700,000 votes compared to 584,000 four years ago. An estimated 212,000 had voted by noon.
Watchers in Philadelphia reported “very heavy” voting in both the industrial and residential sections. Industrialized Chester, Pennsylvania, was piling up its heaviest vote in history, and some Pittsburgh totals were running ahead of 1940.
In New York City’s Brooklyn Borough, an estimated 500,000 of the 1,121,053 registered voters had cast their ballots by noon.
The first 50 votes counted in Pratt City, Kansas, traditionally a Republican stronghold, gave Dewey 27, Roosevelt 23.
Despite scattered rains in the west, early voting was exceptionally heavy in Colorado and Utah.
Kansas City was having its biggest rush to the polls in many years and some precincts were half voted by 9:00 a.m. The total was expected to be far ahead of 1940.
Several Texas cities, including Fort Worth, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Longview and Wichita Falls, were expected to set new voting records.
Oklahoma war workers rushed to the polls early and in midmorning the vote was running ahead of 1940.
Indianapolis reported light voting in the industrial sections but nearby rural areas, predominantly Republican, were piling up an unprecedented vote.
In San Francisco, approximately 40,000 – approximately 10 percent of the registered voters – cast their ballots the first hour.
The Maryland vote was very heavy and ahead of 1940.
In Oregon, observers believed the vote would exceed that of 1940 despite 10,000 fewer registrations.
A record number of women’s votes was piling up in Buffalo, New York, and surrounding Erie County.
Voting enthusiasm was reported high in North Carolina, Georgia and other Southern states despite the fact that Mr. Roosevelt was generally conceded the Solid South Lines of voters awaited the opening of the polls in Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham and New Orleans.
Bricker votes early
First of the Election Day principals to vote was Ohio Governor John W. Bricker, the Republican vice-presidential nominee. He became the 111th voter to receive a ballot in his Columbus, Ohio, precinct.
Throughout the country, citizens were exercising their secret ballot rights in 140,498 voting precincts.
It is a rare and rigid test of our democracy. The men and women of the armed services have been voting for weeks and most of their ballots are sealed, waiting for the polls to be closed before being tallied.
Polltakers foresee the closest presidential contest since 1916 when Republican Charles Evans Hughes lost by a whisker to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
Many states doubtful
A score of states are listed as close or doubtful. The absentee service vote may be decisive in any of them, including big New York and Pennsylvania.
The winner needs at least 266 of the 531 electoral votes.
National Democratic Chairman Robert E. Hannegan predicted that Mr. Roosevelt would do better than he did in 1940 when he carried 38 states.
National Republican Chairman Herbert Brownell Jr. said not only that Governor Dewey would be elected but that Republicans would not “concede a single state outside the Solid South.”
11 states delay count
State laws have already assured that the service vote will be delayed in 11 states. In any photo-finish election this year the winner conceivably might not be known until the last of the late-tally states have been reported. The last is North Dakota which makes its final service ballot count Dec. 7.
Officials estimate that 4,894,225 service ballots were distributed and that 2,856,993 will be returned for counting.
New York has already announced that 411,128 service ballots had been received by the statutory state deadline which was yesterday noon.
In many states, including New York, the potential soldier vote exceeds the number by which Mr. Roosevelt led the late Wendell L. Willkie in 1940.
States postponing tally
States in which the service ballot count will be delayed for various lengths of time are California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah and Washington. They aggregate 123 electoral votes.
in addition to the Presidency and Vice Presidency, this election will choose 432 members of the House of Representatives, 36 U.S. Senators, 31 governors and literally thousands of lesser officials. One of the 36 Senate seats is for a meaningless two-month term which expires with the present 78th Congress next Jan. 3.
Maine elected its three members of the House – all Republicans – and a Republican Governor last September. There was no 1944 senatorial election in Maine.
Both candidates speak
The campaign finally ended last night shortly before midnight with both presidential candidates on the radio in last-minute appeals, which primarily were for all eligible citizens to get to the polls today. Mr. Dewey is voting in New York City. Mr. Roosevelt will vote in Hyde Park.
The President to be elected today and the new 79th Congress will determine domestic and foreign policies for the next two years when there will be another election – this time with Congressional seats the only federal jobs at stake.
Democrats have nominal control of both Senate and House as the ballots are cast today. But, actually, an anti-New Deal coalition of Republicans and Democrats has been dominant on Capitol Hill for the last two years – and occasionally before that.
Standings listed
Here are the standings as of today:
SENATE: Democrats 58; Republicans 37; Progressives 1.
HOUSE: Democrats 214; Republicans 212; Progressives 2; Farmer-Labor 1; American-Labor 1; vacant 5.
Safe Southern states among those at stake today assure continued numerical superiority in the Senate for the Democratic Party, although administration control will continue to be in jeopardy. But Republicans insist that they will win the House this year. It is conceded that they have brighter prospects now than at any time since Mr. Roosevelt became the Democratic leader.
House may go GOP
One of the side issues of this campaign has been the possibility that the President, in a close contest, might squeak through but that the House would go Republican. In that event, Mr. Roosevelt would have to deal with Republicans if he would deal with the House at all.
Political morality, individual veracity and age have fired this campaign with bitter issues. Mr. Dewey’s challenge to the “tired and quarrelsome old men” has aroused Mr. Roosevelt’s supporters to ridicule the Governor’s youth.
Mr. Roosevelt is 62 and Mr. Dewey is 20 years younger. Senator Harry S. Truman (D-MO), who was nominated as Mr. Roosevelt’s running mate after the President decided Henry A. Wallace might be a political liability, is 60 years old. Ohio Governor John W. Bricker runs with Mr. Dewey. He is 51.
