Heavy Turnout Expected
Early Voting Number Sets Record
Last updated Monday, November 1, 2004 9:33 PM CST in Front
By Dan Craft
The Morning News
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FAYETTEVILLE -- Waving signs, honking horns and long lines at the courthouse defined the last day of early voting, and officials are predicting record turnout today.
A total of 15,245 cast early ballots in Washington County, a record for early voting, said County Clerk Karen Combs Pritchard. An additional 2,427 absentee ballots also were cast.
Today's turnout is expected to bring the number of ballots cast to at least 60,000 -- probably more -- said John Logan Burrow, chairman of the Washington County Election Commission.
"These numbers are huge, and I think the early numbers are big enough to give everyone a good handle on how things are going to go," he said. "We're going to have a lot of ballots to count."
More than 88,000 are registered to vote in the county.
Advocates of many candidates stood at the corner of College Avenue and Dickson Street on Monday, hoping to influence early voters headed to the courthouse and passing drivers who might vote today. At times, competing chants of "Four more years" and "Hope is on the way" echoed back and forth between supporters of the two presidential candidates -- Bush and Kerry, respectively.
Many passing cars honked to show support. But in the tangle of signs, it was impossible to determine which signs were prompting the reaction.
Most signs touted the Bush/Cheney and Kerry/Edwards campaigns. Other races represented included federal House and Senate races, state legislative seats, county offices and city council positions.
Election officials ordered enough ballots for all voters, although more ballots than expected were given to the clerk's office, Burrow said. Original estimates were that about 8,000 voters would cast early ballots, given that 5,968 early votes were cast in the 2000 presidential election, Burrow said.
"It's safe to say we exceeded that," he said.
The line for early voting extended out the courthouse doors, through the parking lot and onto Dickson Street. Several people waiting in line held novels; one man burned time playing a handheld video game.
Candidates also were present, some holding signs at the corner and others in line to cast their own ballots.
The close of polling Monday was at 6 p.m., but it took another hour for all those in line to make it to the ballot box.
Similarly long lines are likely to await voters today, said election commissioner Tom Lundstrum. He planned to spend the day circulating through polling sites in Springdale and Fayetteville.
Burrow and commissioner Pete Loris also plan to tour polling places throughout the day. The commission will gather in the afternoon to begin counting the early and absentee ballots, Burrow said.
The results of early voting will be released at about 8 p.m., with counting updates given about every hour throughout the night until the tally is complete, Lundstrum said.
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