Polling Places

New Jersey voters, worried about the economy and jobs, will head to the polls Tuesday to choose members of Congress and decide a wide range of local races. Some South Jersey residents will cast ballots in the Third Congressional District, home of one of the nation's most competitive races, where freshman Democrat John Adler faces a challenge from Republican Jon Runyan. Particularly important in that race will be so-called swing towns - where the candidates hope to pick up unaffiliated voters - including Moorestown, Medford, Mount Laurel, and Evesham.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Deep-seated voter discontent, calculated attempts to rig the vote, and widespread Taliban intimidation Saturday marred Afghanistan's parliamentary election, which was considered a bellwether for America's troubled campaign to stabilize the war-weary nation. While Taliban attacks killed at least 14 people across Afghanistan, international observers and top Afghan officials praised the imperfect election as a tentative sign of progress one year after widespread fraud tainted Afghanistan's presidential vote.

A small but significant victory has been won by Chester County voters who waited for hours in the rain to take part in a historic presidential election. They have persuaded county officials to move a polling place back to the campus of Lincoln University after a lawsuit arising from a chaotic Election Day in November 2008. The county's decision to move the poll, announced Tuesday, was part of a settlement of a suit in which five voters claimed the Board of Elections had violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

I'M THINKING that the actions of the New Black Panthers on Election Day in 2008 were more about TV than turnout. Samir Shabazz and Jerry Jackson posted up outside the old Richard Allen Homes at 12th Street and Fairmount Avenue, which is in the 14th Ward's 4th voting division. In November 2008, there were 1,535 voters registered there. Only 84 of them were Republicans. Not exactly a location where an African-American running for president would seem to need much assistance. In 2000, George W. Bush got 8 votes to Al Gore's 382. In 2004, John Kerry bested George W. Bush 501 to 24. Maybe it was that explosive growth from 8 votes to 24 that caused these knuckleheads to show up in 2008, when then-Sen.

Jonathan Ramos went to court yesterday, seeking to overturn the May 18 Democratic primary election he lost to state Rep. Angel Cruz for the state House's 180th District seat. Ramos and two supporters filed a petition in the Common Pleas Court, complaining that Cruz and his brother, Luis, tried to remove judges of election from polling places through fraud and intimidation in the 7th Ward, where Angel Cruz is the leader. They also accuse the Cruz brothers of taking tapes that record the results on voting machines and other materials away from polling places.

Jonathan Ramos, who challenged state Rep. Angel Cruz in last week's Democratic primary for his 180th District seat, is asking for an investigation into Cruz's Election Day behavior. "I'm not looking for a recount," Ramos said at a news conference, surrounded by more than 30 supporters. "It's not about me anymore. I just want this injustice to end for the community. " Common Pleas Judge Dennis P. Cohen issued an injunction against Cruz on Election Day for allegedly intimidating voters and blocking some election workers' access to polling places.

Philadelphia schools will open two hours late on Tuesday, Pennsylvania's primary election day, but an official who oversees elections says that's not good enough. Acting on a request from state and court officials, city schools will have a delayed start on Tuesday. On Wednesday, School Reform Commission Chairman Robert L. Archie Jr. said that after hearing from Gov. Rendell and Pamela Pryor Dembe, president judge of the Court of Common Pleas, the commission decided to alter its calendar.

Schools open late on Tuesday The Philadelphia School District plans a delayed opening for schools for Tuesday's primary election. Schools will open at 10 a.m. Free breakfast programs for students will also start later. Many schools, which are typically closed during elections, double as polling places. The district chose to keep schools open on Tuesday to make up for a day lost to a winter snowstorm. Webcam class suit won't ask $ The lawyer for Blake Robbins, the Harriton High sophomore suing the Lower Merion School District for invading his privacy, said yesterday that the family would not seek class-action economic damages in the "Webcamgate" lawsuit.