Published: May 07, 2008 11:49 am            

Sparring Democrats bring out voters in Clark, Floyd counties

Several voters interviewed after casting their ballots Tuesday said gas prices and the heated primary battle between Democratic Party presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were factors in their turnout.

“This is actually my first time voting in several years — and I am for Hillary,” said Clarksville resident Nena Spalding.

Knowing she would be voting in the primary encouraged Spalding to pay close attention to the presidential race, as well as politics a little closer to home.

“I decided I’ll go ahead and look over some of the other candidates and see who I think is best for what,” she said.

It was the first time her daughter, Kayla Spalding, had been eligible to vote and she made the most of the opportunity. But the daughter had a differing opinion than her mother.

“I am for Barack Obama. I believe he probably has most of the youth vote as well,” she said. “It’s your civic duty and an important part of the political process that you make your vote heard, especially as young people.”

Nena Spalding said gas prices are extremely important to her, and the continued rate increases at the pump steered her toward Clinton.

The New York senator recently proposed a temporary suspension of federal gas taxes during the summer travel season to provide relief. The plan was first suggested by Republican presidential candidate John McCain, but opposed by Obama.

“Whoever is promising lower gas prices, that’s who I’m going to vote for,” Nena Spalding said.

Clarksville resident Steve Carroll said he always votes, but believes higher turnout at the polls this year is because many voters want new ideas, as well as the tightly contested race between Obama and Clinton.

“The current administration has got us where we are and that needs to change,” he said. “Nobody will assemble anymore and this really is the only way we have to do it.”

Russ Cook shared many of the same sentiments, speaking outside the New Albany Salvation Army polling station where he had just cast his vote.

The feeling that Indiana still matters in the presidential-nomination process brought more voters out than usual, he said.

“Usually by now, it’s pretty much decided. With it still being a close race, it’s interesting to see how it’s all turning out,” Cook said.

His main issue of concern is also fuel.

“[Gas prices] just keep going up and it doesn’t seem like there’s an end in sight,” he said.

Fuel prices might be the hot topic, but visits from presidential hopefuls and the meaningfulness of the Indiana vote drove people to the polls, according to Linda Gugin, professor of political science at Indiana University Southeast.

She said recently that local races would be impacted by the presidential primary.

“There are implications for local candidates with Indiana’s open primary system. People will be voting in the Democratic primary who would have never voted,” Gugin said.



FLOYD

Voter turnout in Floyd County was up in comparison with recent primaries. The unofficial tally is 22,481 votes cast on Tuesday, near 40 percent of registered voters in Floyd County.

The 2004 presidential primary saw a turnout of 13 percent in Floyd County and 16 percent in 2000. The highest primary turnout in the past 12 years before Tuesday was 23 percent, in 1996.

“This has been really heavy for a primary, it has been really outstanding,” said Floyd County Clerk Linda Moeller.

The clerk complimented her staff and volunteers, saying they adapted well to the recent changes to voter requirements that were upheld by the Supreme Court.

Officials will still be counting provisional votes up to May 16, but Tuesday’s reported totals did include absentee votes.



CLARK

About 31,154 voters in Clark County — more than 40 percent of those registered — went to the polls on Tuesday. That number is way up from the 24 percent who showed up at the polls during the 2004 presidential primary and the 21 percent who showed up in 2000.

It’s a large number, but Clark County Clerk Barbara Bratcher–Haas said she thought it would be different, considering Indiana’s role in the presidential election.

“I’m surprised the percentage of registered voters that actually voted,” she said. “That’s much lower than I anticipated.”

She anticipated more because of the number of newly registered voters — about 4,000 — this time around. Most of those new registrants came because of interest in the two Democratic presidential campaigns, Bratcher–Haas said.

Tuesday’s was her first election since becoming county clerk.

“It went much, much better than I anticipated,” she said. “Everyone’s attitude was ‘lets do the best job we can to get people through the polls.’”

While the focus was on the democrats, republican campaign workers weren’t short of work during the primary.

“I noticed that a lot of republicans requested democratic ballots,” said Evelyn Shannon, who worked the polls in Bethlehem.

Many wanted to get involved in local races where democrats were the only ones on the ballot, she said.

— Staff Writer David Mann contributed to this report.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.