Tuesday’s election results might depend on voter turnout | Online Athens

Anyone wishing a bigger say in government should vote Tuesday since signs of an unusually low turnout suggest every vote cast might carry more meaningful consequences.

“We are closing in on what appears likely to be a very weak, or low-voter-turnout primary on May 20,” said pollster Matt Towery, CEO of InsiderAdvantage. “We are now thinking that the actual vote on Tuesday could be at least 100,000 votes fewer than it was in the GOP primary of 2010, which was our last midterm and gubernatorial cycle.”

Early expectations are for an about a 16-percent voter turnout, which is less than half of the likely turnout in November.

On the other hand, heated mayoral races in Athens, Augusta and Columbus are driving turnout. As a result, Muscogee and Richmond were two of the five top counties in terms of early voting turnout. Already 8,500 people have voted in Columbus and 7,100 in Augusta, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, which didn’t release the Clarke County figures.

Candidates are doing what they can in the remaining hours to spur turnout. Most spent the weekend bouncing from one rally to another, and the statewide contenders who have the money will zoom around Georgia by plane on Monday. All the while, they are airing TV ads, sending mailers and having volunteers and machines call supporters.

“(GOP Senate candidate) Karen Handel clearly has the most targeted get-out-the-vote effort,” Towery said. “Her use of social media and automated phone calls to her base could give her an extra point or two in the final vote count. (Rival Jack) Kingston has turned around his TV ad campaign, running stronger ads and taking on (businessman David) Perdue. And Perdue is now attacking Kingston as well.”

via Tuesday’s election results might depend on voter turnout | Online Athens.