Early balloting portends huge turnout in Texas

[brooklynite]

Source: AP

AUSTIN — Texans showed up in likely record-breaking numbers during two weeks of early voting, with voters in the state known for producing two George Bushes and Tom DeLay casting ballots in the Democratic primary.

"Texas is well on its way to a new record for turnout in a primary election," Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson said today.

An estimated 60 percent, or 2 million, of the 3.3 million total voters expected in Tuesday's Democratic and Republican primaries voted early, Wilson said. He based that estimate on the slightly more than 1.2 million who cast ballots in the 15 most populous counties through Friday's end of early voting.

...snip...

The Secretary of State's Office tally for the 15 most populous counties showed that 890,188, or 11.39 percent of registered voters in those counties, voted early in the Democratic primary — more than the Texas Democratic Party has seen in the past two presidential primaries statewide for early and Election Day voting.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5588031.html

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Here's a question -- if you arrive at the tail end of primary voting and have to stand in a line past poll closing; will you have time to make it to the caucus?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. Caucuses don't begin until the last person has cast their ballot

So, yes. The last person in line has time to caucus.

[leftofcool]

2. Oh well, here on the East Coast, we'll be up all night.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. We'll only get one more hour of rest than you guys

Well, except for extreme west Texas, they'll get two more.

[tanyev]

3. I wonder.

I hope it will be record-breaking, but 2004 kind of fizzled, at least in my precinct. I did some poll watching during early voting for the general election and everyone was astounded at the high turnout during early voting. I was set to work as an election judge on election day and was a little concerned that it would be crazy, but when the day arrived it was actually pretty slow other than a busy hour or so when the polls first opened. I think Texans love their early voting period.

[snooper2]

5. We didn't produce CHIMPY

He just happened to buy a pig farm here for a prop...


DAMN I HATE THAT!

[Ilsa]

7. Yep. Born out east. He left the state when he started high school.

Went to college out of state. Came here to party, shop for cowboy hats, belt buckles, boots, and trucks, and try to pick up a few "cowboy" moves for his political persona. Bushwipe-What a fraud.

[snooper2]

6. For your question...

That's why a lot of us voted early, so we can go to work tomorrow and head to caucus in the evening...

I don't know about last in line at poll, but caucus starts at 7:00 and I'm sure at a point they will shut the doors. Again, as you can see, many of us who plan to caucus voted early.

:) :)


GOBAMA!

[Historic NY]

8. Wonder how Ron Paul is doing.....?

[damntexdem]

9. The caucus is not supposed to start until 15 minutes after the last vote is cast.

This, of course, assumes that the rules will be followed.