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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (82719)	11/2/2004 10:25:04 AM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793917

Kerry Spot [ jim geraghty reporting ] [ archives \| email ] November 2, 2004. THE MIDDAY LULL [11/02 10:16 AM] I hear from several readers who have been poll watchers that my assessment of voting patterns throughout the day - morning rush, followed by a lull, followed by a lunch rush, followed by an afternoon lull, followed by an after-work rush - is pretty much par for the course. So the early lines at polling stations may not be the leading indicators that we think they are. Walt writes over at Red State: I feel as if I have some expertise with this, having worked inside as an election official as well as outside the polling place as one of those people who tries to give you paper you don't really need. Here's how it goes: the morning is busy with people who are voting before going to work. After that, the at-home parents and the retired come in to vote. In the evening, it's the people coming home from work. One year I counted, by hour, what time people came in to vote, and 25% of the total voters that day came in the last two hours (5 PM - 7 PM). That was a low turnout election, and I think in more robust turnout situations — such as presidential elections, and especially today's — it's more spaced out throughout the day. TALE OF A CHALLENGE [11/02 10:07 AM] Kerry Spot reader Bob actually got challenged in Ohio: I live in Newbury, a small township in Northeast Ohio. I was in line at 7:00. I waited in the rain for one half hour. I was challenged (as were all voters in my precinct) and had to produce my driver’s license and then tell them what my address was. I had in my hand a voter guide that I printed off the web from a non-partisan voter information service. I was told to get rid of it. I told the lady that I was allowed to have it and that it was a non-partisan voter guide. She finally relented and told me that I could have it, but not have it out where people could see it. Worst election experience ever. Hey, chin up, Bob. You voted, did your civic duty, and your anecdote reassures me. If you're getting asked about your voter's guide, hopefully they will also be on guard for other campaigning-style activities. And the fact that they asked for your driver's license is a great sign. Maybe Ohio will root out this voter fraud after all. HEY, GUESS WHICH STATE HAS LOW TURNOUT? [11/02 09:57 AM] Of all the states, I might have expected New Hampshire to have one of the highest turnout numbers. It's a swing state, it has a governor's race, it has a Senate race, and it's got the famous early primary. But here's a report that suggests the opposite: My wife went to our polling place here in Manchester, NH, and breezed through without much of delay, just as on past election days. She did say, though, that Kerry supporters with signs outnumbered their Bush counterparts by approximately one thousand to two.