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Ominous Signs for Reid
from Early Voting in Nevada Part Three of Three By Dave Andrusko As we edge ever-closer to November 2, there are signs beyond polling data--as useful as they can be--that give us a sense of the lay of the land.
Last week we wrote about what is for me an utterly amazing statistic. Projections are that a whopping 40% of those who will vote this election cycle will do so BEFORE Election Day. (For a list of states that have early voting and how they provide for it, go to http://www.nrlc.org/News_and_Views/Sept10/nv091710part2.html.) Yesterday POLITICO ran a story headlined "Early vote a bad omen for Reid," referring to pro-abortion Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nv.). Molly Ball's led sentence summarizes the most important early warning sign for Reid. "In Nevada's prime swing county, Republicans are significantly outpacing Democrats in early-voting turnout, according to official statistics -- a potential sign of difficulty for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as he attempts to rally his base for his tough contest with Republican Sharron Angle." The reason POLITICO hopped on this is because while voter registration is exactly evenly split (39% to 39%), "Some 47 percent of early voters in Reno's bellwether Washoe County so far have been Republicans, while 40 percent have been Democrats, according to the Washoe County Registrar," Ball wrote. "Nearly 11,000 people had voted in Washoe over the first three days of early voting, which began Saturday." Likewise a story that ran earlier in the Charlotte Observer offered multiple hints. Whereas in the presidential year of 2008 registered Democrats swamped Republicans by a 3-1 margin, this year it's very close--31,910 to 27,623. Reflecting the enthusiasm for then-candidate Barack Obama, "black Democratic women led all groups during the 17 days of early voting," according to what the newspaper described as the "nonpartisan Democracy North Carolina, a campaign watchdog group." By contrast, "The largest group of early voters in North Carolina is made up of white Republican men." Bob Hall, director of Democracy North Carolina, put this in perspective. "Early voting doesn't favor one party or another, but reveals who's most organized and enthusiastic about making their voices heard." Please send your comments on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |
