Arnold Taylor had a relatively lonely morning.
Standing outside a Westchester public library, the poll worker was in charge of greeting voters -- but
not all of the visitors were there to cast an early ballot on whether to allow Vegas-style slot machines
at local racetracks and jai-alai frontons.
''Most people have just asked if they could drop off their books,'' Taylor said. 'I tell them the library is
closed, it's Presidents' Day.''
Early voting began Monday in Miami-Dade County, where -- unlike neighboring Broward County --
slots are the only question on the ballot. No politicians to vote for, no other referendums to puzzle
over.
At the county's election headquarters in Doral, fewer than a dozen voters had cast ballots by noon. At
Taylor's outpost at the West Dade Regional Library, roughly 30 people had voted by lunchtime.
But election officials reported more than 1,500 had cast ballots by the close of the day, roughly the
same number as in Broward. The pace is expected to pick up as the March 8 referendum nears -- as
will the campaigning from both sides.
Backed by the seven parimutuel facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward, the pro-slots campaign has
launched an aggressive effort to sway potential voters. The parimutuels say they are losing dollars to
untaxed and unregulated gaming at Indian casinos and so-called cruises to nowhere, and say slots
would pump millions into state education and provide thousands of local jobs.
Critics scoff that such numbers are wildly inflated and note that the state Legislature has yet to outline
how the slots will be operated -- and how the money would be distributed across the state.
Voters in both counties overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in November that put the question
to voters in the two counties.
Most of the campaigning has been in Broward, where a higher voter turnout and more visible
organized opposition has upped the ante.
But the pro-slots campaign isn't ignoring Miami-Dade, launching fliers and ads, and posting campaign
workers at polling places where they waved signs touting the measure's slogan, ``Yes for Better Jobs
and Schools.''
Not every voter was convinced. Marketing consultant and father of two Bernie Torra looked with
distaste at the placards and T-shirts, printed in a childish script.
'It's what we call `puppies and kids,' an easy way to attract smiles,'' said Torra, who voted against the
measure, adding that he was ''disgusted'' by the pro-slots campaign. ``And it's done under the guise of
helping children, but there has to be a better way.''
But the argument that taxes generated by slots could be used to help education and the economy
appealed to Mercedes and Rene Hernandez, who stopped on the way to the doctor's office to cast a
'yes' vote.
''I don't play the lottery, and I'm not a gambler,'' said Rene Hernandez, a retiree. He does, however,
treat his wife to a trip to Las Vegas once a year. ``I don't believe it's a vice. No one is going to force
you to play.''