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Ready for voter deluge Just like its location, the atmosphere at the Iowa City Public Library’s satellite voting Monday was hushed and orderly. But the scene at the polls today could be much more chaotic.
“All indicators say we’ll have a record turnout for voting this year,” said Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett. Early voting numbers through Sunday have already smashed records in past elections. Of the county’s roughly 92,000 registered voters, nearly 43 percent have already either voted early or requested a ballot, compared with about 37 percent total in 2004, the auditor said. “It’s a possibility that over half of the registered voters will have voted [before election day],” Slockett said. But the surge of early voters won’t likely diminish today’s turnout. If anything, it will cut down the long lines voters traditionally endure. Even so, people who voted at the Iowa City library on Monday weren’t taking any chances. “I’m voting early to beat the crowds,” said Aaron Votroubek, who added this might be the biggest election in his 20 years of voting. “[The election] is huge this year because of the economic crisis. It’s extremely important to vote.” Local election officials are bracing themselves for the crowds that Votroubek predicted. “We expect a heavy turnout,” said Diana Durham, an election official. Durham, who has worked at satellite voting locations for a few weeks, said increasing numbers of people have showed up as Election Day nears. “It was nonstop [at the library] Sunday from 12 to 5,” she said. On Monday, Durham said the line at the library didn’t die down until 11 a.m. — an hour after it opened. To ensure the election goes without a hitch, election workers will arrive at the precinct locations today at 5:30 a.m. and will not leave until after 9 p.m., when the polls close. To further ease the possible deluge of voters, Durham said, some precincts will have separate lines for nonregistered voters. Along with the momentum that early voting has created, the new allowance in Iowa for same-day registration may also beef up voter turnout. Wisconsin and Minnesota, states with same-day registration, have traditionally had higher turnout rates than Iowa, Slockett said. “Cutting off registration before Election Day is like having a Fourth of July sale, but you have to come in on June 20 to get the sale prices,” Slockett said. Slockett noted people who have already voted can check their ballot’s status on the county auditor’s website to make sure there are no errors. UI freshman Ellen Rozek cast her ballot on Halloween to obtain this kind of reassurance. “My mom told me that if I waited until the day of and there was a problem with my out-of-state voting form, I would be in trouble,” she said. As for those who have yet to vote, Durham said there is reasoning behind their delay. “There’s a feeling that goes with voting on election day,” said Durham, who will vote and work today at the Mercer Park precinct. “I even talked to my sister, and she said, ‘There’s no way I’m voting early.’ ” |
