JACKSON – Weather appeared to be a major factor in voter turnout Tuesday, with heavy rains keeping people away from the polls even in parts of Mississippi with highly contested congressional races.
Voting was brisk in areas where the weather was fair, especially in two congressional races in which Democratic incumbents were facing tough challenges from Republican state lawmakers.
“It”s pouring down rain,” said Danny Klein, election commissioner in heavily populated DeSoto County.
DeSoto County is in northern 1st District, where Democrat Travis Childers of Booneville is trying to hold onto the U.S. House seat he first won in a May 2008 special election. He faces Republican Alan Nunnelee of Tupelo, who”s been in the state Senate 16 years. Seven independent or third-party candidates also are on the 1st District ballot.
“Unless the weather starts breaking and they start turning out, it looks like it will be slower than we anticipated,” Klein said.
Voter turn out was heavier in other parts of the district, including Lowndes County to the east, where it didn”t start raining until later in morning.
“We”re having a really good turnout,” said Circuit Clerk Mahala “Haley” Salazar said. “For a midterm election, we”re busier than we were four years ago.”
There was also a strong showing in the southern 4th District, where Democrat Gene Taylor of Bay St. Louis, who has been in Congress since 1989 and is facing Republican Steven Palazzo of Biloxi, who”s been in the state House of Representatives since 2007. One Libertarian and one Reform Party candidate also are running in the 4th District.
The turnout is heavy in coastal Harrison County, said Circuit Clerk Gayle Parker
“So far we haven”t gotten any rain. The skies are half blue. We hope the rain holds off until polls close,” she said. “If the rain is heavy, some people, especially older people, don”t come out.”
Jared Allen, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said most of Mississippi would get rain Tuesday, though it had not reached some areas in the south and northeast by midmorning.
Mississippi”s two other incumbent congressmen – Democrat Bennie Thompson of Bolton in the 2nd District and Republican Gregg Harper of Pearl in the 3rd – face opponents with significantly less campaign cash and name recognition.
Thompson, in Congress since 1993, faces Republican Bill Marcy of Vicksburg, and one Reform Party candidate. Harper, first elected in 2008, faces Democrat Joel Gill of Pickens and one Reform Party candidate.
Several north Mississippi election officials said Monday they”re seeing a higher than usual number of absentee ballots. Many attributed that to voters” intense interest in a tight 1st District race between Childers and Nunnelee.
In DeSoto County, Deputy Circuit Clerk Marla Treadway said 1,594 absentee ballots were cast. She said 399 were cast in the 2006 congressional midterm election.
In Nunnelee”s home of Lee County, Circuit Clerk Joyce Loftin said there were between 1,000 and 1,100 absentee ballots cast.
“I think it is because of interest in the congressional race and the fact that we have a special election (for constable), one contested circuit judge”s and Court of Appeals,” Loftin said.
In Childers” home of Prentiss County, officials said 438 absentee ballots were cast – higher than usual for a midterm, but significantly fewer than the roughly 800 in the 2008 presidential race.
Childers and Taylor are both fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats in districts that voted for Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential race. Their opponents accused them of putting Washington politics ahead of their home districts.
Childers and Taylor portray themselves as independent-minded lawmakers who are willing to vote against their own party”s leadership on divisive issues such as the national health care overhaul.
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