Texas Secretary of State predicts low turnout in primaries
Election official sees 13% turnout in state primaries
Early voting tally cited in prediction; Williams hoping for higher figure
March 4, 2006,
Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2006
AUSTIN - Based largely on early voting, Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams predicted Friday that 13 percent of the state's registered voters will cast ballots in Tuesday's primary election.
Early voting the past two weeks has been at about the levels of the 2002 primaries, the last time there was a governor's race, Williams said.
Still, he said, that percentage is too low.
"Elections are a vital part of our democracy and play an important role in shaping our state's future," he said in a statement. "My office is working diligently with local officials to promote a turnout in this election that is higher than my 13 percent prediction."
Williams said he encourages every Texan to vote in a primary or sign a petition for an independent candidate.
In coming up with his projection, Williams said he examined a variety of factors, including turnout in prior elections, registration numbers and early voting trends.
Throughout early voting, which ran Feb. 21 through Friday, the Secretary of State's office has tracked turnout from the state's 15 most populous counties. Those counties account for about 60 percent of all registered voters in Texas.
In Harris County, almost 19,000 Republicans and 6,500 Democrats voted early through Thursday.
There are 1.8 million registered voters in Harris County and 12.7 million statewide.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
© 2006 Houston Chronicle: www.chron.com
Early voting tally cited in prediction; Williams hoping for higher figure
March 4, 2006,
Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2006
AUSTIN - Based largely on early voting, Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams predicted Friday that 13 percent of the state's registered voters will cast ballots in Tuesday's primary election.
Early voting the past two weeks has been at about the levels of the 2002 primaries, the last time there was a governor's race, Williams said.
Still, he said, that percentage is too low.
"Elections are a vital part of our democracy and play an important role in shaping our state's future," he said in a statement. "My office is working diligently with local officials to promote a turnout in this election that is higher than my 13 percent prediction."
Williams said he encourages every Texan to vote in a primary or sign a petition for an independent candidate.
In coming up with his projection, Williams said he examined a variety of factors, including turnout in prior elections, registration numbers and early voting trends.
Throughout early voting, which ran Feb. 21 through Friday, the Secretary of State's office has tracked turnout from the state's 15 most populous counties. Those counties account for about 60 percent of all registered voters in Texas.
In Harris County, almost 19,000 Republicans and 6,500 Democrats voted early through Thursday.
There are 1.8 million registered voters in Harris County and 12.7 million statewide.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
© 2006 Houston Chronicle:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Saturday, March 04, 2006
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