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Virginia residents line up to vote in the pouring rain at Robious Middle School November 6, 2018 in Midlothian, Virginia. The U.S. holds its midterm elections today, the first time the nation has voted since a divisive 2016 presidential election. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
What High Turnout Looks Like: Unusually High Enthusiasm Reported at Polling Sites Nationwide
"We're seeing a lot more people that typically sit out midterm elections going and showing up because they believe these races are so important."
Nov 05, 2018
This is a developing story and this post may be updated.
One GOP candidate in New Jersey made the hopeful prediction that rainy "Republican weather" on Tuesday would make for the kind of low turnout that's helped to keep his party in power. But early reports indicate that the forecast in many cities and states isn't keeping voters away from the polls in the 2018 midterm elections.
As polls opened in states across the U.S., news outlets and voters themselves reported unusually long lines, potentially indicating turnout that's higher than average for midterms. With Election Day following several weeks of early voting in a number of key states--during which more than 30 million Americans voted and turnout records were broken in states including Georgia and Florida--political observers pointed to the lines as evidence of high levels of voter enthusiasm.
\u201cThere was a 90-minute line to vote -- this compares with presidential election years and is probably about the longest I've ever had to wait. So turnout at least in my Atlanta, Georgia, polling place looks very high.\u201d— Steve Matthews (@Steve Matthews) 1541507408
\u201cLong lines and high turnout at the Gallatin County Elections office despite the snow. #MTPol #Election2018 #NBCMontana\u201d— Kylie Strandberg (@Kylie Strandberg) 1541522688
\u201cLines are at presidential election year levels following equally high early voting turnout.\u201d— Joshua Claybourn (@Joshua Claybourn) 1541507905
"If you look at the numbers, early voting is shattering records among young people, among people of color," Ari Berman of Mother Jones told Democracy Now! early Monday. "We're seeing a lot more people that typically sit out midterm elections going and showing up because they believe these races are so important."
Early reports out of states including Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York, Minnesota, and Rhode Island suggested unusually high turnout for a midterm election.
\u201cAt Bethlehem\u2019s 1st Ward - Northern turnout is quite high. Voted a few minutes ago and turnout was 2-3 times higher than I ever remember at this time since I\u2019ve voted here. Poll worker told me sometimes they don\u2019t get these totals in an entire day. #electionday #lvelection\u201d— Stephen Gross (@Stephen Gross) 1541513921
\u201cThere was a 90-minute line to vote -- this compares with presidential election years and is probably about the longest I've ever had to wait. So turnout at least in my Atlanta, Georgia, polling place looks very high.\u201d— Steve Matthews (@Steve Matthews) 1541507408
\u201cIt's busy in Brooklyn: A poll worker at Christ Church in Bay Ridge says this is \u201cby far\u201d the most voters he\u2019s ever seen at this site. \u201cMore than double the 2016 election,\u201d he estimated, noting that there were nearly 50 people lined up at 6 a.m.\n\nhttps://t.co/45usI8u6Kg\u201d— Electionland (@Electionland) 1541523015
\u201cOn a snowy day in Minnesota House District 1B, elections officials in the city of Red Lake Falls report high turnout with 150 in-person ballots cast before 11 AM.\u201d— Christopher Ingraham (@Christopher Ingraham) 1541524094
\u201cA line at Hope Highlands in Cranston at 11:30am points to high turnout. Line moving quickly. 605 votes cast already. The ballot scanner is projecting 2,900 votes by 8pm.\u201d— Chris Barnett (@Chris Barnett) 1541522368
Google also reported that its most-searched for term on Tuesday morning was "Donde votar"--Spanish for "where to vote," suggesting high levels of interest in voting in Latino communities.
\u201c\u201cDonde votar\u201d (where to vote in Spanish) is the top search on Google today. Other top searches \u201cpolling place\u201d is spiking 350% and \u201cvoting\u201d up 300%. #ElectionDay #GoVote\u201d— Shraysi Tandon (@Shraysi Tandon) 1541513985
On social media, some cautioned against drawing firm conclusions about turnout from early on-the-ground reports, noting that closed polling places in states like Kansas, Arizona, and Texas may be causing congestion--and are no cause for celebration.
\u201cThe long lines at polling stations are both encouraging as an indication of high turnout AND a sign of an inadequate and often discriminatory system not set up for said high turnout.\u201d— Summer Brennan (@Summer Brennan) 1541514966
But others suggested that the long lines should not be discounted following a contentious election season that marked by mass mobilization among young people, a record number of women and women of color running for office, and widespread outrage over President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies and the Supreme Court confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Hope: Long lines mean high turnout.
Fear: Long lines mean voter suppression/infrastructure failure.
Reality: As always, both/and.-- Audra J. Wolfe (@ColdWarScience) November 6, 2018
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This is a developing story and this post may be updated.
One GOP candidate in New Jersey made the hopeful prediction that rainy "Republican weather" on Tuesday would make for the kind of low turnout that's helped to keep his party in power. But early reports indicate that the forecast in many cities and states isn't keeping voters away from the polls in the 2018 midterm elections.
As polls opened in states across the U.S., news outlets and voters themselves reported unusually long lines, potentially indicating turnout that's higher than average for midterms. With Election Day following several weeks of early voting in a number of key states--during which more than 30 million Americans voted and turnout records were broken in states including Georgia and Florida--political observers pointed to the lines as evidence of high levels of voter enthusiasm.
\u201cThere was a 90-minute line to vote -- this compares with presidential election years and is probably about the longest I've ever had to wait. So turnout at least in my Atlanta, Georgia, polling place looks very high.\u201d— Steve Matthews (@Steve Matthews) 1541507408
\u201cLong lines and high turnout at the Gallatin County Elections office despite the snow. #MTPol #Election2018 #NBCMontana\u201d— Kylie Strandberg (@Kylie Strandberg) 1541522688
\u201cLines are at presidential election year levels following equally high early voting turnout.\u201d— Joshua Claybourn (@Joshua Claybourn) 1541507905
"If you look at the numbers, early voting is shattering records among young people, among people of color," Ari Berman of Mother Jones told Democracy Now! early Monday. "We're seeing a lot more people that typically sit out midterm elections going and showing up because they believe these races are so important."
Early reports out of states including Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York, Minnesota, and Rhode Island suggested unusually high turnout for a midterm election.
\u201cAt Bethlehem\u2019s 1st Ward - Northern turnout is quite high. Voted a few minutes ago and turnout was 2-3 times higher than I ever remember at this time since I\u2019ve voted here. Poll worker told me sometimes they don\u2019t get these totals in an entire day. #electionday #lvelection\u201d— Stephen Gross (@Stephen Gross) 1541513921
\u201cThere was a 90-minute line to vote -- this compares with presidential election years and is probably about the longest I've ever had to wait. So turnout at least in my Atlanta, Georgia, polling place looks very high.\u201d— Steve Matthews (@Steve Matthews) 1541507408
\u201cIt's busy in Brooklyn: A poll worker at Christ Church in Bay Ridge says this is \u201cby far\u201d the most voters he\u2019s ever seen at this site. \u201cMore than double the 2016 election,\u201d he estimated, noting that there were nearly 50 people lined up at 6 a.m.\n\nhttps://t.co/45usI8u6Kg\u201d— Electionland (@Electionland) 1541523015
\u201cOn a snowy day in Minnesota House District 1B, elections officials in the city of Red Lake Falls report high turnout with 150 in-person ballots cast before 11 AM.\u201d— Christopher Ingraham (@Christopher Ingraham) 1541524094
\u201cA line at Hope Highlands in Cranston at 11:30am points to high turnout. Line moving quickly. 605 votes cast already. The ballot scanner is projecting 2,900 votes by 8pm.\u201d— Chris Barnett (@Chris Barnett) 1541522368
Google also reported that its most-searched for term on Tuesday morning was "Donde votar"--Spanish for "where to vote," suggesting high levels of interest in voting in Latino communities.
\u201c\u201cDonde votar\u201d (where to vote in Spanish) is the top search on Google today. Other top searches \u201cpolling place\u201d is spiking 350% and \u201cvoting\u201d up 300%. #ElectionDay #GoVote\u201d— Shraysi Tandon (@Shraysi Tandon) 1541513985
On social media, some cautioned against drawing firm conclusions about turnout from early on-the-ground reports, noting that closed polling places in states like Kansas, Arizona, and Texas may be causing congestion--and are no cause for celebration.
\u201cThe long lines at polling stations are both encouraging as an indication of high turnout AND a sign of an inadequate and often discriminatory system not set up for said high turnout.\u201d— Summer Brennan (@Summer Brennan) 1541514966
But others suggested that the long lines should not be discounted following a contentious election season that marked by mass mobilization among young people, a record number of women and women of color running for office, and widespread outrage over President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies and the Supreme Court confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Hope: Long lines mean high turnout.
Fear: Long lines mean voter suppression/infrastructure failure.
Reality: As always, both/and.-- Audra J. Wolfe (@ColdWarScience) November 6, 2018
This is a developing story and this post may be updated.
One GOP candidate in New Jersey made the hopeful prediction that rainy "Republican weather" on Tuesday would make for the kind of low turnout that's helped to keep his party in power. But early reports indicate that the forecast in many cities and states isn't keeping voters away from the polls in the 2018 midterm elections.
As polls opened in states across the U.S., news outlets and voters themselves reported unusually long lines, potentially indicating turnout that's higher than average for midterms. With Election Day following several weeks of early voting in a number of key states--during which more than 30 million Americans voted and turnout records were broken in states including Georgia and Florida--political observers pointed to the lines as evidence of high levels of voter enthusiasm.
\u201cThere was a 90-minute line to vote -- this compares with presidential election years and is probably about the longest I've ever had to wait. So turnout at least in my Atlanta, Georgia, polling place looks very high.\u201d— Steve Matthews (@Steve Matthews) 1541507408
\u201cLong lines and high turnout at the Gallatin County Elections office despite the snow. #MTPol #Election2018 #NBCMontana\u201d— Kylie Strandberg (@Kylie Strandberg) 1541522688
\u201cLines are at presidential election year levels following equally high early voting turnout.\u201d— Joshua Claybourn (@Joshua Claybourn) 1541507905
"If you look at the numbers, early voting is shattering records among young people, among people of color," Ari Berman of Mother Jones told Democracy Now! early Monday. "We're seeing a lot more people that typically sit out midterm elections going and showing up because they believe these races are so important."
Early reports out of states including Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York, Minnesota, and Rhode Island suggested unusually high turnout for a midterm election.
\u201cAt Bethlehem\u2019s 1st Ward - Northern turnout is quite high. Voted a few minutes ago and turnout was 2-3 times higher than I ever remember at this time since I\u2019ve voted here. Poll worker told me sometimes they don\u2019t get these totals in an entire day. #electionday #lvelection\u201d— Stephen Gross (@Stephen Gross) 1541513921
\u201cThere was a 90-minute line to vote -- this compares with presidential election years and is probably about the longest I've ever had to wait. So turnout at least in my Atlanta, Georgia, polling place looks very high.\u201d— Steve Matthews (@Steve Matthews) 1541507408
\u201cIt's busy in Brooklyn: A poll worker at Christ Church in Bay Ridge says this is \u201cby far\u201d the most voters he\u2019s ever seen at this site. \u201cMore than double the 2016 election,\u201d he estimated, noting that there were nearly 50 people lined up at 6 a.m.\n\nhttps://t.co/45usI8u6Kg\u201d— Electionland (@Electionland) 1541523015
\u201cOn a snowy day in Minnesota House District 1B, elections officials in the city of Red Lake Falls report high turnout with 150 in-person ballots cast before 11 AM.\u201d— Christopher Ingraham (@Christopher Ingraham) 1541524094
\u201cA line at Hope Highlands in Cranston at 11:30am points to high turnout. Line moving quickly. 605 votes cast already. The ballot scanner is projecting 2,900 votes by 8pm.\u201d— Chris Barnett (@Chris Barnett) 1541522368
Google also reported that its most-searched for term on Tuesday morning was "Donde votar"--Spanish for "where to vote," suggesting high levels of interest in voting in Latino communities.
\u201c\u201cDonde votar\u201d (where to vote in Spanish) is the top search on Google today. Other top searches \u201cpolling place\u201d is spiking 350% and \u201cvoting\u201d up 300%. #ElectionDay #GoVote\u201d— Shraysi Tandon (@Shraysi Tandon) 1541513985
On social media, some cautioned against drawing firm conclusions about turnout from early on-the-ground reports, noting that closed polling places in states like Kansas, Arizona, and Texas may be causing congestion--and are no cause for celebration.
\u201cThe long lines at polling stations are both encouraging as an indication of high turnout AND a sign of an inadequate and often discriminatory system not set up for said high turnout.\u201d— Summer Brennan (@Summer Brennan) 1541514966
But others suggested that the long lines should not be discounted following a contentious election season that marked by mass mobilization among young people, a record number of women and women of color running for office, and widespread outrage over President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies and the Supreme Court confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Hope: Long lines mean high turnout.
Fear: Long lines mean voter suppression/infrastructure failure.
Reality: As always, both/and.-- Audra J. Wolfe (@ColdWarScience) November 6, 2018
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