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More turnout anecdotes

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Illinois

Shortly before noon, almost half the registered voters in my East Loop precinct had already cast their ballots. Half. By noon.

There was just a short line when I got there, but the nice ladies who work the polling place year in and year out said they got slammed this morning. Waits between 45 minutes and an hour.

Down in southern Illinois, my brother Devin reports 45 minute waits in Harrisburg.

An Althoff volunteer and a friend of mine says McHenry County was at a 40-50 percent level by noon, and it wasn’t just the afternoon turnout coming out early. “People who haven’t voted in years are coming out to vote,” he said.

A Democratic Cook County Board member emailed a minute ago claiming that the county looks like 70 percent turnout minimum. “No soft spots. Most voters look like Dems.”

In Chicago’s 47th Ward, turnout was 50 percent by 10 o’clock this morning.

And a Republican just called to say that no way is turnout high in black Peoria precincts.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Nov 2, 04 @ 1:15 pm

Comments

Just voted in Springfield-busy westside precinct. Turn-out appears 70-80% range. Had to wait about 15 minutes.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 2, 04 @ 2:07 pm
Going by these comments only _ Large turnout, few black voters, good weather - Bush wins easily.

Could it be that Blago…. has affected the vote negatively?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 2, 04 @ 3:41 pm