June 7, 2005 County clerks say low turnouts nearly assured for primaries
By Sara Leitch
EXPRESS TIMES
Voter turnout in today's primary elections may not even reach 20 percent, the clerks of Warren and Hunterdon counties said Monday.
"I'm predicting in the teens; that might be optimistic," Warren County Clerk Terry Lee said. "It's one of the lowest primary absentee ballot applications I've seen ever."
Warren County sent out 309 absentee ballots and had received 247 as of noon Monday.
In Hunterdon County, voters had returned 325 absentee ballots of 382 requested by Monday afternoon.
"I hope it's going to be 50 percent, but I think more maybe around 20," Hunterdon County Clerk Dorothy Tirpok said.
Both clerks emphasized that absentee ballots can be returned until 3 p.m. today. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The lack of a competitive Democratic primary in the Assembly race will likely keep some voters away from the polls, Lee said.
"Democrats don't have a lot to come out for, though there is a freeholder contest," he said. "Republicans are what's going to save the day as far as any turnout whatsoever."
Tirpok said the fierce competition and negative campaigning in some Republican races might actually discourage some people from voting.
"A lot of people say 'They're all the same, why should I go out and vote?'" she said. "You have the dedicated Republican voters coming out and they already know who they're going to vote for, so I don't know that this literature is going to change that many people's minds. It's unfortunate."
In addition, both county clerks said some voters, especially elderly ones, may be discouraged from voting by weather forecasts calling for highs near 90 degrees.
"I understand some people think weather has a lot to do with it -- it will be unbearably hot," Lee said.
Despite their predictions of low turnout, both clerks said they hoped the voters would prove them wrong.
"I hope a lot of people come out because we have an Assembly race that is very important to us," Tirpok said. "Hunterdon usually gets a pretty good vote, so I'm hoping that we do get more people than I think we're going to get."
