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Primary draws lowest turnout in decades
Only 9% of registered voters participated; no consensus on reason
12:00 AM CST on Friday, March 10, 2006
AUSTIN – If this week's primary were a movie, it would be Gigli – an expensive production and a box office flop. Nine percent of registered voters encountered short lines or no waits to cast their ballots Tuesday. The primaries attracted the lowest turnout in at least 35 years. It could be the worst turnout ever, but the statistics on voter registration only go back so far. Even Republican Secretary of State Roger Williams, who predicted a paltry 13 percent turnout, was caught being overly optimistic. "We don't know why the turnout was low, and certainly this office is disappointed," spokesman Scott Haywood said. He said he should make it clear that TV commercials running statewide and starring Mr. Williams were not part of a failed get-out-the-vote effort. They were designed to inform voters about where to vote and that they would be casting ballots on new electronic equipment – part of a $5 million voter education drive. "We're pretty pleased with the results. Things went really well with the new equipment," he said. Mr. Haywood said that if any one factor was significant, it was that Democrats failed to show up. "I couldn't find a Democratic primary that was lower," he said. The Democratic primary drew 4 percent of registered voters, the GOP primary 5 percent. Longtime political consultant Bill Miller had a different take. "The real reason is that people are unhappy," he said. "There's a lot of disillusionment presently." Mr. Miller acknowledged that the election was thin on competitive races, but when voter discontent is pervasive, "they're going to withhold their vote," he said. "Being an incumbent is a risky business in this environment." Two independent candidates, Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman, would like to think that all those voters stayed away from the polls so they could sign their ballot petitions. Voting in the primary disqualifies someone from signing a petition. Friedman spokeswoman Laura Stromberg said she thinks it's one of the main reasons people didn't vote: They were "saving themselves for Kinky." "People around the state are literally standing in line to sign our petition. They want to get their hands on one. We're completely overwhelmed," Ms. Stromberg said. But even she noted that other reason Texans might have stayed away from the polls. "There weren't that many options, and some of the races were no-brainers," she said. E-mail choppe@dallasnews.com
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