-
Feb 27, 2007 7:19 pm US/Central
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Low Turnout, Reports Of Violence Mark Elections
Voting Machines Running Smoothly Thus Far, But Other Problems May Define Election Day
CBS 2's Todd Feurer, Kristyn Hartman, Rob Johnson and Mike Flannery contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
It looks like low turnout will be one of the big headlines out of the 2007 municipal elections. As CBS 2's Rob Johnson reports, most polling places look like ghost towns.
Voting in Chicago's municipal elections went smoothly for the most part, with no reports of any of the voting machine or ballot problems, though there were reports of violence in several wards.
But voting came in spurts at most polling places CBS 2 visited Tuesday. There were no long lines for voters to endure early on. Chicago Board of Election officials are hoping to at least match the 33 percent turn out from four years ago.
As of 6 p.m., the voting machines appeared to be working better than last November when results were delayed due to technical glitches at the polls. Cautiously optimistic is the phrase of the day at the Board of Elections.
The Chicago Board of Elections said the election seemed to be running much smoother than three months ago.
Election Board Chairman Langdon Neal says there have been far fewer calls for help from election judges, which could mean better news when it comes time to tabulate the votes Tuesday night.
"Fingers crossed that things will be better tonight," Neal said. "We've done a lot of work in advance, testing this morning and the last three to four months to make improvements to the system, tweaks to try and improve our results and I think we'll see, hopefully we'll see, the results"
Chicago election officials said voter registration was down significantly, perhaps the lowest in the 65-year history of municipal elections.
Mayor Richard Daley's challengers expect their supporters to turn out in force, saying Chicagoans are tired of all the corruption and scandal.
But some supporters of Mayor Richard M. Daley say they're concerned about possible low voter turnout. In 1989, Daley's first victory, voter turnout was 60.2 percent, or more than 934,000 total votes cast. That number dropped dramatically in his last win in 2003 to 33.7 percent, or 484,000 total votes cast.
"We have had over 40 people be indicted and convicted under the current administration. I want to bring an administration that will rid City Hall of crime and corruption," said challenger Dorothy Brown, after voting at Jesse Owens School at 88th and Clyde.
Fellow challenger William "Dock" Walls echoed those statements, also predicting he'd win easily over Daley, despite having far fewer campaign funds.
"People of the City of Chicago know it's time to establish integrity in Chicago. Daley's been in too long and things haven't gotten better under his administration," said Walls. "We're going to have 55.5 percent of the vote in our favor on Election Day. ... Downtown media continues to underestimate the political sophistication of the reform community."
One voter we met said he wouldn't miss the chance to cast a ballot. Anderson Angelo said, "People died that we might get a chance to vote. You know, I just don't want to disappoint. You know that African Americans do come out and participate and cast their ballots."
Daley is running for a sixth term, which would make him Chicago's longest running mayor. He cast his ballot at Old St. Mary's Church this morning.
He wasn't interested in talking victory margins, just his agenda. "Education. I think that is, that will be the primary goal again; to refocus everyone, not just parents and students, but everone in the city, on how important education is and looking very deeply into all of our schools and finding out why can't we do a better job," Daley said.
He says if you don't have passion for the job, you shouldn't seek re-election.
Brown and Walls made the rounds yesterday in a last-ditch effort to drum up support. Walls cast his ballot early.
Both say a lot is at stake. Brown and Walls hope constituents are turned off by scandal in City Hall and vote for change.
But Daley says he's moved the city forward. There's a lot at stake for him in this election. Should Daley win and serve four more years, he would be Chicago's mayor longer than anyone, including the current record holder, his late father.
He says it's not about that, though, it's about what voters want. "They want decisions. They want people to work together to stop fighting," Daley said. "The final message is move Chicago forward by working together .Every time you go into meetings, you talk to people … that's what they tell you. They like what we're doing with education, they like what we're doing with housing, to really move the agenda forward."
Brown, meanwhile, has spent much of her time establishing herself as the anti-corruption candidate.
"The biggest thing I would change is to root out crime and corruption in City Hall," Brown said. "Chicagoans need to change their attitudes towards corruption and they need to stop shrugging their shoulders and saying 'That's just Chicago.' And they need to demand that it stops."
The same goes for Walls. He said voters want "someone who will come in and immediately make a difference in the quality of life for average people."
"Now is the time to make a difference in the lives of your children and your children's children. This is the most important election in the history of the City of Chicago."
He's run a campaign with the help of a volunteer force.
Daley has the deepest war chest by far. He's had more than $3 million to work with and he says he's run a good campaign.
But Walls said he wasn't concerned by how much money Daley's campaign has. "If money voted he'd be mayor for life. But money doesn't vote, people vote."
Chicagoans are voting on more than just the mayoral race. All 50 City Council seats are also up for election.
In the 7th Ward this morning, candidate Sandi Jackson and her husband, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Illinois), cast their ballots.
Jackson is running against Ald. Darcel Beavers, who was appointed to the position when her father retired.
Jackson says her top priority is to rejuvenate the neighborhood. "The first thing is economic development. For anyone driving down 75th and 79th (Streets), they see that those areas are two main arteries that have been severely neglected," Jackson said.
Jackson also said the 7th Ward would benefit if she becomes alderman, because she has access to elected officials on all levels of government.
Meanwhile, several mayoral primary elections are going on in the western suburbs today.
Naperville Mayor George Pradel is facing a challenge from Councilmen Doug Krause and Mary Ellingson. It's Naperville's first mayoral primary since 1995.
Meanwhile, in Wheaton, Mayor James Carr has decided to retire after 14 years. Four people are vying to fill his seat: Councilmen Alan Bolds, Tom Mouhelis and Phil Suess, along with former Councilman Michael Gresk.
And in Forest Park, Commissioners Patrick Doolin and Theresa Steinbach are both trying to unseat Mayor Anthony Calderone.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)