*shrug*

Good point GrandOleDawg, about Kemp. I’m thinking Gary Black will take it in the end, but I’m sure Kemp will win Athens. His name has been positively everywhere.

And while I’m typing….

I’m a little surprised turnout isn’t a little bigger ’round here for the Republican side. Brian Kemp has a lot of support in these parts (being his senate district) and I figured he would drive people to the polls. If anything, I expected turnout to be a little up here (relative to normal, low primary turnout)

I think my polling place was an anomaly with the 200 by 11 am. It includes Reed’s neighborhood and his wife sent out a personal email via the Women’s Club urging us to vote early followed up by a second email through the same channel from a big Reed supporter today.

Ironically, it worked and got my husband to the polls; although it galvanized him to vote against Reed. (I was already a Cagle supporter.)

As of 3:30 today, turnout was thru the floor. Turnout at the largest precinct in town was at 11% overall. I know its early, but I the poll worker’s said that that precinct doesn’t normally get that usual late afternoon push. The most Republican precinct in Clarke County (51.3% Bush in ‘04) was still in double digits for the GOP side of the primary, same for another precinct of similar size but slightly more blue. Trying hard to get numbers for the one other precinct that went “red” in ‘04, but with no luck. I’ll probably swing by there on my way to Buckhead.

Low numbers all round, even for a primary.

Pretty low numbers there. Even for a primary.

Caitlin, good point, but the east side of Athens (especially SE near Watkinsville) is more Republican/conservative than most of the rest of the city. Overall, with 101,000 people in Clarke county, right at 17,000 are registered to vote — and turnout for GENERAL elections is often in the 30-40% range of THAT.

Athens-Clarke does have a disproportionately high black population, and is overwhelmingly — OVERWHELMINGLY — liberal Democrat. For example, the state house race this fall will be won by the Democrat by at least 20 points; the closest race in memory was 2004, when Jane Kidd beat Bill Cowsert by 11.

The University isn’t low on blacks, as you seem to be saying; rather, the attendance is just about equal to (or a little higher than) the African-American percentage of the population. However, it does seem low (and affluent) once one breaks out of the “University bubble” to find a county which is 27% AA, led by 100% Democrats, and is 5th in the nation in persistent poverty. Are the last 2 related? Hmmmmm……

Now why couldn’t that have happened at my precinct?

And you shouldn’t be surpised that Athens has more Democrats, as it’s got a very high African-American population (except in the university, somewhat ironically), but I’m a bit surprised at how close the numbers were because there had to be nearly twenty volunteers, and the church I vote at has a predominantly black congregation; I’d bet that many of those Democratic cards were their own.

I hear there is a strong move fro Stephens in the Mountains and they are trying to reach out to folks south. His support up North sounds solid

Ag seems to be a split between Black and Kemp with Black near 40% from what I am hearing around the state

Anyway, at the time I was in there, there was only one other person voting (middle-aged, white man), though they said that earlier this morning that it was “very busy” in there.

haha, over 70 yrs old.No offense to anyone on here, although I assume no one over 70 is posting

When they sorted my voter information card, the volunteers were keeping an informal count of Republicans versus Democrats. 49 people had voted Democrat and 42 people had voted Republican. That means fewer than 100 people had voted as of 12:30 in the afternoon. That’s pathetic.

Nice post, Atlanta Lawyer.

Are you telling me that now UNION is getting Liquor by the Drink? Jesus tap-dancing Christ, Fannin is going to be left in the dust by EVERYONE now!

BTW,

The same things about you said about Reed seem to be holding true in Fannin. I’ve only talked to 1 person who voted for Reed. And like I said, a 1000 Church per square mile, Dry county like Fannin should be a Bastion of Reedism.

anyways, now the ajc is reporting that some fulton sites will stay open to allow late voters due to problems earlier in the day. these are cagle areas, but late voters tend to be more men than women, which could mean good for ralph.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/elections/entries/2006/07/18/some_fulton_sit.html