Volunteers Lead Last-Minute Rallying in N.H.

MANCHESTER, N.H.--Swarms of volunteers for presidential candidates took to the streets yesterday, greeting voters on street corners and in front of polling places with banners, slogans and an occasional song.

Volunteers began chatting with voters outside the New Hampshire Catholic Charities office on Franklin Street--the polling place for this city's third ward--early this morning and continued their vigil well into the evening. They said they wanted to ensure voters of their candidate's popularity.

"It reassures voters when they come to the polls that there is support for the candidate they're voting for," said James M. Cantwell, a first-year law student at Boston College who traveled up to Manchester for the day to support Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.

Many of the volunteers said they didn't think their rallying would affect voters' decisions. Instead, they hoped it would inspire enthusiasm about the candidates.

"If they see signs with Bush on it, friendly faces, and that we're all nice people, it makes them sure of their vote," said Theodore Rusch Jr., a Bush campaign volunteer from Washington D.C. who lead his fellow staffers in a rendition of a John Philip Souza march. "We're just trying to create a friendly atmosphere."

"We're probably not going to change anybody's minds but we're here to show support," said Cantwell.

Because most of the people who attended the rallies were not permanent New Hampshire residents, many campaign staffers said it was important for someone recognized from the area to stand at the polls.

`My Visibility'

Anne J. Bourque, ward three's alderman and state representative, spoke at the election day rallies in support of Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey. She said she has campaigned on the same street corner several times in the past few years.

She hoped that her endorsement of Kerrey would influence the voters of the ward. "I hope they recognize me," she said. "The undecided have my visibility."

Jim J. Foley, an attorney from Newport Beach, Calif., who went to high school with Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and has followed him through five states, said that he had been standing in front of the polls since 10 a.m.

He acknowledged that his partner from Manchester was much more successful than he in attracting voters.

"My partner has definitely made a difference because she knows all the people that are coming by." he said. "Since she's gone away to get a cup of coffee, I haven't had much success."

Some of the energetic volunteers said they hoped to influence the city's large bloc of undecided voters with some last minute pitches.

`Showing Them We Care'

"I heard that 60 percent of all voters are undecided," said Mary Catherine G. Sneider, a senior from Cornell here for the weekend to support former Gov. Jerry Brown. "We can convince them to vote for him by showing them we care."

"The undecided are the major issue," said Jim F. Murphy, a secondary school teacher from Worchester, Ma. "They will decide at the voting booth... Our visibility is a vital first step."

The competition among opposing campaigns in front of the polling centers sometimes erupted into confrontations.

Angry exchanges between Bush supporters and Patrick J. Buchanan fans were reported at polling areas in both Nashua and Manchester.

In ward three, a shouting match broke out between supporters of the rival Republicans in the afternoon.