By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
Voters in Rhode Island flocked to the polls Tuesday, with nearly 50% of voters, more than 402,000 people turning out as of 1:00 P.M., or about 86% of the turnout in the 2016 Presidential election, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
At around noon, the state Board of Elections reported a power outage in the area around the Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence was not hampering voting, with the polling place continuing to operate normally under generator power.
In one of the high profile races in the state, powerful House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, a Democrat and his Republican challenger, Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung voted within minutes of each other late Tuesday morning at the Hope Highlands Middle School.
“I felt much more comfortable and confident this morning, to be very frank with you,” Mattiello said after casting his ballot.
Fenton-Fung targeted him for revelations about behind-the-scenes activities in Mattiello’s 2016 campaign, disclosed in testimony during last month’s trial of former Mattiello campaign aide Jeffrey Britt. Mattiello denied knowing Britt reportedly arranged for a controversial mail piece supporting his re-election, from former Republican House District 15 candidate Shawna Lawton.
“I try not to talk about it so much,” Mattiello told reporters.
“I think the trial, the Jeff Britt trial really brought to light some of the more seedier details,” Fenton Fung said.
“So, for people who thought – well, you know, it doesn’t have to do with him – when they saw the details of the trial come out they were like, no, we cannot allow this to go on any longer,” she said.
Both Fenton-Fung and Mattiello said they would spend the day thanking supporters around Cranston.
I’m going to Wein-O-Rama,” Mattiello said. “I’m going to enjoy three pancakes, because that’s what I do every Election Day.”
