Wisconsin recall vote: early lines suggest high turnout and close finish

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Wisconsin recall vote: early lines suggest high turnout and close finish
Pre-dawn lines in key bellwether towns indicate high turnout in the acrimonious vote to recall governor Scott Walker
Rory Carroll in Appleton and Gary Younge in Racine
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 June 2012 12.55 EDT

Eighteen months of acrimony that made Wisconsin a national political battleground climaxed on Tuesday as voters lined up from dawn to cast ballots in the recall election.

Polling centres across the state reported lines of people waiting for centres to open at 7am, suggesting a high turnout will decide whether Republican governor Scott Walker keeps his job.

With opinion polls giving him a narrow lead over the Democratic challenger, Tom Barrett, activists from both sides predicted a tight result and threw the last of their energy into herding supporters to the polls.

"When we opened the doors there was already a line of people," said Brenda McCormick, chief inspector of a polling centre in Appleton, traditionally a bellwether town. "Looks like it's going to be a fabulous turnout."


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/05/wisconsin-recall-vote-walker-barrett

[DFW]

1. A high turnouot is always a good thing

It doesn't prevent the Walker machine from falsifying the results, of course, but it
does make their task more difficult. I hope Holder is watching this one like a hawk,
and is prepared to swoop down, talons bared, if Walker's goons try any election fraud.

I suppose I could just as easily have said "WHEN they try any election fraud."

[Iliyah]

2. Is this across WI

or in major areas in dems area compared to repigs?

[Judi Lynn]

3. State-wide. n/t

[SWTORFanatic]

4. High turnout statewide is ALWAYS a good thing though

If you polled all citizens (not just registered or likely voters) rather than had elections, dems would always win hands down. The main reason republicans win in off year and local and special elections is the conservative base is mostly old and upper middle aged folks who actually bother with those elections.

The liberal base is mostly young people (college kids = really apathetic towards voting..... and 20 somethings and 30 somethings also kind of apathetic towards voting) and minorities/poor people (really apathetic towards voting as well)