Election day in Philly starts with a shoving match

"Fuck you, youse a fucking coward! Youse a fucking pork eater!"

Early morning voters in Point Breeze were welcomed to the polls by this scenario: two grown men shouting and shoving. One of the men, Anthony Tappe, was eventually coaxed out of the polling place by poll workers, but not before another  poll worker called 911.

Tappe says he was incensed by what he called a "corrupted" situation inside the voting location for the 36th Ward's 1st and 39th divisions. Tappe is a Democratic committee person for the 36th Ward's 1st division. Standing outside the polling place, Tappe said he was angry because he was unjustly excluded from working the polls.

"I should be at the table," he said, blaming a "Bernard Teasdale" for the trouble. None of the poll workers inside were willing to confirm who Bernard Teasdale was, or if there was, in fact, anyone by that name. The man that Tappe called Bernard Teasdale refused to comment or even confirm his name. Tappe continued to call that man a number of insults, including, to him, the most damning of all: a Republican.

Tappe alleged that Teasdale – or someone – "slid his people in. Nobody said nothing to me." Tappe also said he was retiring from being committee person, in part because of "bullshit like this."

When pressed to clarify, Tappe refused to elaborate on what exactly was wrong. According to the 2014 primary results, there are no committee persons – Democrat or Republican – with the name Bernard or Teasedale in the 36th Ward. When there are unfilled positions, ward leaders can fill them, however.

After speaking to City Paper, Tappe stormed off, swearing he was going to call Harold James, the 36th Ward Leader. He soon returned, shouting again, and pushing the man he called Bernard. At one point, Tappe reached into his pocket, prompting multiple bystanders to call 911 a second time. Tappe later tore down election notices taped outside. The police soon showed up and resolved the situation without arrest.

It seems likely that Tappe had failed to get his poll-watcher certificate, which allows committee people to sit at the polling table and oversee voting-day operations. It's a way for the party machines to ensure that they get out all their targeted voters. Following the second altercation and involvement with police, no one was willing to speak with City Paper about the matter.

No one except for Marjorie Jones, Democratic committee person for the 39th division, who called the altercation "a shame." Jones recognized Tappe, but not the other people working the 1st division polls.

"We're trying to encourage people to vote and they see this... It's just unacceptable."