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Politics : Right Wing Extremist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sandintoes who wrote (29771)	11/5/2002 7:22:05 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 59480

Voter Turnout Higher in Close Races URL: foxnews.com Tuesday, November 05, 2002 By Amy C. Sims NEW YORK — Voter turnout was expected to be near record lows this Election Day, but states with heated political battles are seeing high poll traffic. Minnesotans, who typically contribute to higher turnout than the national average, were lining up at the polls to cast their ballots in one of the most highly watched Senate elections this year. Democratic former Vice President Walter Mondale and Republican former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman were pulling out all the stops to get out the vote. Cars were lined up for blocks and the wait was more than a half-hour long for some voters in the Twin Cities area. At Golden Valley, more than 300 people had cast ballots within an hour after the polls opened at 7 a.m. Despite the snow, 65 percent voter turnout was expected, almost twice what was expected on average across the nation. In Florida, a 60 percent voter turnout was predicted by the secretary of state. Lines were long not just because of initial technical glitches with voting machines. One precinct's officials said 370 of the precinct's 1,460 registered voters had voted by 10:30 a.m. Ten people were waiting in line at 6:30 a.m., when the precinct volunteers arrived. Tightly contested races drew Coloradoans to the polls Tuesday, with mild weather expected to help bring out 65 percent of the registered electorate. Lisa Doran of the secretary of state's office said Tuesday morning she had no initial indication of the turnout, except what she saw on her way to work. "There appeared to be a good number of people at the precincts," she said. The race between incumbent Republican Sen. Wayne Allard and Democratic challenger Tom Strickland was one of several races around the country that could decide who controls the U.S. Senate. Voter turnout in South Dakota was strong, as voters were not even deterred by freezing rain in parts of the state. Sue Roust, Minnehaha County auditor, said many people voted before going to work and turnout was brisk. "It has been very heavy. We have some precincts that by 10 o'clock had had almost a 25 percent turnout," she said. Nearly 476,000 South Dakotans are eligible to vote in the general election, and it has been predicted that turnout may hit 75 percent. If so, that would break the non-presidential election year record of 73.65 percent in 1994. Arkansas Secretary of State Sharon Priest said that high-interest ballot measures, plus close calls for senator and governor, should bring out more voters on Tuesday. Priest said she expected a 62 percent voter turnout, compared with 59 percent in the 2000 presidential election. But not every state was thriving with voter activity. Californians have been decidedly unexcited by either candidate for governor, pitting Democratic incumbent Gray Davis, a career politician, against Republican Bill Simon, a wealthy financier and first-time candidate. The secretary of state's office predicted a statewide turnout of 58 percent, barely above the 57.6 percent that set a record low four years ago, but several voters said they weren't even going to the polls because they didn't like either candidate. In New York, turnout was light as voters went to the polls to elect a governor, state comptroller and attorney general. "We had a 40 percent turnout last year. We think it's going to be the same this year," said Naomi Bernstein, spokeswoman for the city's Board of Elections, a few hours after polls opened. Voting officials in Alabama said turnout varies from light to brisk. The presence or absence of hot local races is having as much — or more — impact than the rain. Secretary of State Jim Bennett predicts 53 percent of Alabama's registered voters will turn out Tuesday. That's down 4 percent from the last election for governor. Curtis Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, said he expects turnout on Tuesday will be as low or lower than it was in 1998, when 35.3 percent of the voting age population cast ballots. That was the lowest midterm turnout since 1942, he said. "Two things could propel turnout to be higher — competitive races in major states and the economy," Gans said. But he said low primary turnout this year, combined with the drop in voter registration and polls showing little voter interest, suggest turnout will be low. The Associated Press contributed to this report.