CT: Huge Voter Turnout In Connecticut -- 70 Percent!
The Greater Danbury News Times has just reported that there's massive, massive, massive voter turnout in Connecticut:
Some 70 percent of the registered voters will go to the polls today, according to Connecticut Secretary Susan Bysiewicz.By comparison, 56 percent of the state’s voters cast ballots four years ago, Bysiewicz said.
"We only had 5 hours of voting this morning and we’ve already at nearly 30 percent in some cities," she said.
All eyes, of course, are on not just how this will impact the Senate race, but also how it will affect efforts to dislodge GOP Reps. Chris Shays, Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson. Some 86,000 new voters have been registered since May 1. Anybody have any idea what the party I.D. breakdown is?
Update: Possible record turnout in Virginia, too.
Late update: More on those new voters. According to the New Haven Register, of 74,000 of those new voters only 14.3% are Republican.
Later update: Here are some more numbers on those new voters. From the Associated Press:
More than 86,000 residents registered to vote between May 1 and Tuesday, the deadline. Of those new voters, 38 percent are Democrats, 15 percent are Republicans and 47 percent are unaffiliated, state officials said.
That's one thing I've always been proud about, living in Oregon. We have amazing voter turnout rates, because of our vote-by-mail system. We average about 87% voter turnout. As of last Tuesday, we already had 50% of eligible voters return their ballots.
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Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.
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November 7, 2006 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
86,000 New Registered Voters
The Associated Press is reporting 86,000 new voters in CT for the general election. This number is staggering, especially when you consider 38 percent are Democrats, 15 percent are Republicans and 47 are independents.
These aren't independents motivated by some kind of mythical bipartisan appeal. These are independents motivated by change. And one thing folks in CT know is there is one change agent in the U.S. Senate race, and his name is Ned Lamont.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/1/193111/863
November 7, 2006 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Congratulations. You beat Minnesota with 77.7% the last election. Nicely done!
November 7, 2006 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lieberman has about 80% support from R's, 52% from Indy's, and somewhere in the 30's from Dems. Those numbers could be slightly off.
November 7, 2006 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
As for the new registrants, this comes from the New Haven Register:
HARTFORD -- About 74,000 new voters have been registered in Connecticut in the past six months -- the most in a decade -- and political experts expect those new voters to have a significant effect on Election Day.
Those totals could be even higher by the time the deadline for new registrations for the Nov. 7 election expires at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The party affiliation breakdown of those new voters doesn't appear to be good news for Republican candidates in a year when many Connecticut residents are angry with both the Iraq war and President Bush.
Only 14.3 percent of new registrants signed up to join the GOP, a figure well below the Republicans' overall share of the Connecticut electorate and barely more than one-third of new Democratic voters.
However, the biggest chunk of new voters have registered as unaffiliated. Political scientists say that where those 34,000 new independents land on Election Day could vary widely depending on the race involved.
[...]
November 7, 2006 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
According to the New Haven Register (10/30/06),
"Only 14.3 percent of new registrants signed up to join the GOP, a figure well below the Republicans’ overall share of the Connecticut electorate and barely more than one-third of new Democratic voters.
However, the biggest chunk of new voters have registered as unaffiliated."
http://www.nhregister.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17395788&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=517515&rfi=8
November 7, 2006 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
According to this New Haven Register article:
http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17395788&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=31007&rfi=6
45% IND
14.3% GOP
and 40.7% DEM
November 7, 2006 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess the question is do the recent polls still apply in light of the record turnout.
I have to think that people who have recently registered are more likely to vote. If so, the actual results could be different from the polls.
Also I've read/heard lately that, while polls were showing a large lead for Lieberman, a significant percentage of those who were asked said they might change their minds before actually voting.
November 7, 2006 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
70% turnout in CT for a midterm election is historic in it's proportions. And with the voter breakdown in this state that does not bode well for the GOP... :-)
November 7, 2006 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
It was pretty crowded at my little rural polling place.
An odd thing happened. A lone man waving a Lamont sign, (the kind you stick up in store windows, smaller than a proper lawn sign) started parading back and forth right in front of the polling place entrance. Of course that got the little old ladies flustered and one hurried out to tell him to remove hisself immediately to the boundary, (75 feet. It's the law More importantly, it's posted. Yankees respect postings.) As I happened to park right in front of the boundary, I mentioned that I had, indeed, voted for Lamont to this odd, lone, supporter. The man gave me a peculiar look and said.
"Oh, er, thanks". When I said "no, thank you", he looked embarrassed. He weren't no townie. I know all of them.
I smell a rat. There were Lamont supporters on primary day parked in the parking lot of my polling place, and they certainly stayed outside the bondaries, had a decorated truck, and proper signs.
Maybe I'm just paranoid, but it seems to me that a lawsuit about supporters coercing voters is just up Old Joes alley.
Between the Liberthugs and the robxcalls, I just can't put anything past these power-hungry boobs.
I voted an almost-straight anti-incumbant ticket. The exception being for Rosa. I looove Rosa. :)
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November 7, 2006 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd love it to be 70%, but the Secretary of State also predicted a huge turnout for the primary, and my recollection is that while actual turnout was pretty strong for a primary, it wasn't in the same neighborhood compared to what was predicted. That being said, there were more people at my voting place than I have ever seen at the polls, presidential election or otherwise (caveat: I've only lived here for four years).
On an somewhat unrelated note: Does anyone know why poll workers tend to be so, shall we say, seasoned? Is there an age requirement? Seriously?
November 7, 2006 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Absolutely right, why would anyone bother to go register, and then not vote? It makes no sense.
That is a good question, and I think this is a very fluid situation.
"Say It Ain't So" may still pull this out, but I think it's going to be a lot closer than the last Q poll showed.
Anecdotal: Lots of Lamont volunteers out where I voted. Poll worker stated large turnout.
November 7, 2006 5:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
At the same time... 47% of new registered voters as unaffiliated may not bode well for Lamont, either.
We'll just have to see.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.
Come visit PROJECT: Lucidity.
November 7, 2006 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink