Open thread: The turnout

We’re already getting some data from regular readers about the turnout in their local precincts.  The general impression so far: heavier than usual, but not as heavy as 2008, which would be good news for Republicans in this cycle.  Turnout in 2008 was around 63%, but for most midterms, it’s around 40-45%.  Here are some of the comments received this morning:

• “I showed up when the polls opened this morning at 7am in the Michigan 1st district in Chippewa County’s 1st precinct.  No violence, intimidation, or other shenanigans going on at this time.  Turnout was really heavy though.  The pollworkers commented on it.  It’s my first time voting in this precinct, so I am not sure what it was like last year.  However, my last election (before I lost my job to the economy) was in Louisiana, and there were twenty times as many people at the poll opening here in this election than there were in Louisiana in my last.”What does a large turnout mean in this district?  I guess we will find out tonight.  My prediction is that the Republican will take this congressional seat by a very large margin.”
• “Fairly respectable turnout at my precinct at 7:00 am (northern Virginia) and 30 degree weather. No one gets up early to go out into the cold and vote for the status quo.”
• “Just got back from the heart of liberal voting land [Minnesota]. Turnout is not at all what it was two years ago. Most of the people in line were business people. Two years ago there were a lot more young people. Line last year was around two corners. This morning it was 20 people max.”
• “Voted at 6:15am here in CT. I live in a small town and the parking lot was getting pretty full. Heard election officials inside saying they were already seeing higher turnouts than expected. Stopped for coffee in the next town over and heard the same thing.”
• “Voted at 7:10 in Short Pump, Va. I was number 61 in my mostly red district. Looks like it’ll be a fairly heavy turnout here – nothing like 08′ though.”

We’ll set this up as an open thread for turnout reports.  I’ll update them as we get e-mails.  Bear in mind that these are anecdotal reports, but Hot Air has a pretty wide reach, so we should get a good mix of data from it.

Update: A good reminder from the comments: “My dad voted out in Sylvania and said there was a big Kaptur/Democrat flyer/vote list right on the sign up table! He pointed it out, and it was destroyed. Be vigilant and be on the lookout.”  Voter integrity is everyone’s job.

FYI, I voted early, so I have no personal observations on turnout at my precinct from today.

Update: “I voted at 7:00 am in Indianapolis IN.  Very Democrat district.  There were 4 “booths” and I was the only one there.  Walked in, voted, walked out inside 3 minutes.  Very cold out there, a few folks standing there with voting guides which I declined.  As I was leaving I saw a car pulling up, but honestly, I was the only one there besides the poll workers.”

Update: “I voted this morning on my college campus in Philadelphia.  The place was deserted, and the poll workers seemed ready to fall asleep.  The College Dems are elsewhere on campus trying to get people to vote, but nobody seems interested.  Turnout looks like it will be very light.”  That may be very good news for Pat Toomey, as Joe Sestak needs a huge Philly turnout to remain competitive.

Update: “I’m an election judge in North Minneapolis. This is a majority minority precinct. Turnout at 10 am is 60 voters. In 2008 this
precinct had 850 voters. At this pace we won’t top 400 today.”

Update: “Personal experience, in Perriello’s District, VA-5. Went to the UVA polling center to vote in Charlottesville. The place was empty. Maybe 3 or 4 people voted in the 3 minute span I was in the building. That means maybe 500 voters total by the end of the day if the pattern holds. According to Virginia State Department data, there were 1500 votes cast in this precinct in 2008. 1200 of them were for Obama.

“If republican turnout holds or improves any in these voting precincts, a possibility because of greater enthusiasm numbers in 2010 vs. 2008, a total wipeout is possible.”

Update: From a Republican district in Orange County, California: “I just got back from voting and here is my report; there were 8 voting booths and all was being used when I arrived. Normally when I vote around 9:00am there is only one or two booths being used. I had to wait a few minutes to do my voting and by the time I was leaving there was a line forming. Traffic much more for that time of day.”

Update: “Showed up to vote at 9:00 in very conservative district in Winston-Salem, NC.  The line was huge.   Eight privacy booths were in use and they had to bring in two additional tables to allow people fill out their ballots using hymn books to block people from seeing their ballots.  It took me 15 minutes in 2008.   It took me 45 minutes to vote today.”

Update:  Two more:

• “I live in Georgia’s 12th Congressional District, a seat currently held by John Barrow, which is pretty reliably blue.  My wife and I just went to vote at our precinct, which is a church in the most heavily democratic area of Savannah, Georgia, and besides 8 poll workers, we were the only people there!  This polling location had lines around the corner all day in 2008.  The 12th district race hasn’t had any national attention or blogosphere attention, and there hasn’t been any independent polling , but I wonder if Ray McKinney isn’t going to pull off a surprise win, or at least make it really close.  Hotair has been great with its coverage and analysis this year – keep up the good work!”
• “I’m a Republican pollwatcher in Reno.  I’m at a heavily Dem polling place in downtown.  Turnout is very heavy–lines are ~25 deep.  Voter report at 10:00 said 58 Rs 48 Ds 18 non-’partisan 5 IA.  I’ve walked these precincts before and they are blue blue blue.”

Update: “I voted this morning around 8 am in my precinct on the near west side of Madison, WI. Remembering the long lines of 2008, I took a travel mug full of hot coffee, a book and my iPod. I didn’t need them. I walked directly in, and went straight to a booth.

“One funny thing I did notice yesterday was the sudden appearance of Ron Johnson signs in Madison itself. Until Monday, you only saw Johnson signs in the suburbs but not in “The People’s Republic of Madison” proper. After Halloween, the Johnson signs came out! Probably due people remembering the vandalism and sign-stealing that took place during the 04 and 08 presidential races.”

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• Chris Matthews: Ugh, Morning Joe is so “open to all people’s points of view”
• Oversight looking to interview thirteen more State Dept officials plus ARB report authors on Benghazi

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