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Obama's attention to youth vote could boost Arkansas primary turnout Wednesday, May 14, 2008 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama could have an influence turnout for Arkansas' May 20 primary even though his name will not be on the ballot, the former director of programs for MTV's Rock the Vote said Tuesday By engaging the younger generation, the Illinois senator has gotten younger voters excited about politics, and they are likely to stay involved in the process, said Mark Strama, now a Democratic state representative in Texas. "I wouldn't be surprised if the folks who'd gotten newly engaged through the presidential campaign become activists up and down the ballot and throughout their communities," Strama said in an interview with the Arkansas News Bureau after giving a speech at the University of Arkansas' Clinton School of Public Service. At 35 percent, voter turnout was slightly higher than normal in Arkansas' Feb. 5 presidential primary, which was moved from mid-May this year to increase the state's influence in the presidential nominating process. That level of turnout possibly could carry over to the May 20 primary for state and local offices because voting is habit forming, said Strama, also founder of the first online voter registration company. The youth vote was key in some primary elections for state and local offices in Texas, he said. Youth there flocked to the polls to support Obama, and state and local candidates who had solid name recognition with that demographic had a high success rate, he said. Still, Obama narrowly lost the Texas primary to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY. Clinton could be just as responsible for raising voter turnout in Arkansas May 20 primary, Saline County Clerk Freddy Burton said. "Obama versus Clinton; it seems like we're all glued to that," Burton said. Voters could just be in the "election mood" from watching the hotly contested presidential primaries in other states, and that could be the reason they vote in the May 20 primary, he said. Early voting, which began May 5, saw a 250 percent increase in turnout on the first day in Saline County, Burton said. Interest there is high for races for two House seats, county sheriff and county judge, Burton said. "It's kind of shocking to us," he said. Early voting has declined since the first day, he said. Although the county had 40 percent turnout in the presidential primary, just 13 percent to 16 percent turnout was originally expected for the May 20 election, Burton said. "But if early voting is any indication, it (turnout) will be higher," Burton said. |
