Voter Turnout

Locked in a tight race that will likely hinge on voter turnout, the two candidates for governor of Maryland are stepping up their grass-roots efforts to generate enthusiasm and prod their supporters to the polls.Supporters of Gov. Parris N. Glendening and Republican Ellen R. Sauerbrey fanned out around the state yesterday, ringing doorbells and distributing brochures.In Democratic East Baltimore and in Republican Carroll County, these volunteers shared a goal: to inspire the faithful to register their support where it counts.

BUCKING a statewide trend of Democratic victories, Carroll County remained staunchly Republican in Tuesday's election. No Democrat gained office; none came close to winning.The county's conservative bedrock laid the foundation for Republicans, none of whom could be called the slightest bit liberal.The difference was not campaign money or voter turnout, two common excuses of losers. The county's majority Republican Party turned out in good numbers, but so did Democrats. Overall, the county voter turnout was 61 percent, down from 67 percent in 1994.

SALISBURY -- Thwarted four years ago in a bid to elect the Eastern Shore's first African-American state legislator, activists and politicians are vowing that history will not repeat itself in Tuesday's primary vote.Still, the last-minute entry of a white challenger to two prominent black candidates in the peninsula's only majority-black legislative district is familiar.In the 1994 general election, the delegate's seat from District 37A slipped away from a pair of African-American hopefuls in favor of a white candidate.

THE withdrawal of Democrat Eileen M. Rehrmann from the gubernatorial race a week ago scuttles the attempt by political strategist Larry Gibson, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and Prince George's County Executive Wayne Curry to create a bargaining situation. But what will it mean for future attempts by black people to exercise real political power in Maryland?Originally, Gibson & Co. had envisioned a lively competition for the black vote by Gov. Parris N. Glendening and Ms. Rehrmann. Of course, the nature of the competition depended upon the success of the black politicos in wooing black voters from Mr. Glendening, an incumbent.

Good government comes only through public involvementThe Sept. 15 primary election in Maryland saw approximately 30 percent of the voting population cast votes. Such faint numbers appeared all over the country. This is an unfortunately low turnout that must be reversed.We get the kind of government we ask for. If we take an interest in politics only at election time or at no time, we allow individuals into office who care only about improving their own financial and personal situations.Good government requires us to become familiar with our elected officials and with the duties of their offices.

IT HAS come down to this: The winner of Tuesday's race for governor may depend on which candidate gets supporters out to vote.Turnout is critical. Gov. Parris N. Glendening has by far the bigger challenge: Energizing and organizing a massive outpouring among his backers in Baltimore City and Prince George's and Montgomery counties.It won't be easy. He's working in the city without crack voting-day organizers Larry Gibson and Julius Henson. His name will be missing from many sample ballots.

In a visit that could spark Democratic voter turnout and boost the re-election chances of Gov. Parris N. Glendening, President Clinton has agreed to speak at a Baltimore church Sunday, two days before Election Day, the White House said yesterday.Clinton has accepted an invitation from U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings to deliver remarks during a Sunday morning service at New Psalmist Baptist Church in West Baltimore, Cummings said.Cummings, who represents Maryland's 7th District, and other ranking state Democrats had urged Clinton to make a campaign stop in Maryland before the election to help prod Democratic voters, particularly African-Americans, to the polls Nov. 3.The chief beneficiary will likely be Glendening, who is in a neck-and-neck race against Republican Ellen R. Sauerbrey.

Almost as soon as the polls opened, the first lines began forming around the state. By 8 p.m. -- when voting was to end -- there were still long lines at some polling spots.Democratic Party volunteer Latifa Hamid was part of the reason: The 44-year-old city housing inspector's Election Day job was to prod and cajole as many voters as possible to the polls.She was among thousands of combatants in a ground war -- one that led to a healthy turnout statewide and better-than-expected participation in key Democratic strongholds.

CAN Parris Glendening pull off another cliffhanger victory in the race for governor? Possibly, but some pivotal numbers favor challenger Ellen Sauerbrey.One largely ignored set of numbers shows a huge increase in registered voters in the 20 counties Ms. Sauerbrey won four years ago. If these folks participate and vote at the same rate for her as four years ago, it would catapult her into the lead.In these 20 Sauerbrey counties, voter rolls have grown by 188,645. In the three subdivisions that Mr. Glendening carried four years ago, the active voter rolls are down 18,540.

With three climactic weeks remaining in the fiercely fough Maryland governor's race, the candidates are scrambling for ways to attract undecided voters -- a segment of the electorate that could make all the difference come Election Day.Their target is the truly uncommitted, a group within the broader electorate.They number about 175,000 voters of the 1.5 million who are expected to vote this year. Add another 400,000 voters if the definition of undecided extends to those whose support for Democratic Gov. Parris N. Glendening or GOP challenger Ellen R. Sauerbrey is soft.

Voter turnout in Maryland was not as overwhelming as expected. About 76 percent of registered voters headed to the polls or voted absentee, far short of the projected 85 percent turnout that would have set a record and that elections officials had predicted. The number of ballots cast, however, did reach a high of 2.6 million, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. Only 66 percent of registered voters in Baltimore City turned out, according to preliminary data. Turnout was higher in Baltimore County, at 75 percent.

Don't vote. People will try to guilt you into it, but stay strong and resist. I'm talking to all of you who don't feel strongly about either presidential candidate, not just those 80 undecided idiots seated at last week's town hall-style debate. Those people just crave attention and are way too proud of skimming enough Google News headlines to formulate a question. Give each a hug and a Debate Attendee diploma, and I bet they'll pick a candidate real fast. Voting is not an act of charity.

New NAACP president launches voter drive 3 On his first day as president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Benjamin Todd Jealous launched an online voter registration initiative yesterday called "Upload to Uplift." The program is designed to encourage people to register and upload the e-mail addresses of family and friends who are not registered to vote. It also has a text-messaging feature that will remind people to vote on Election Day. "We must register every last voter, verify every last voter, mobilize every last voter, protect every last voter and ensure that every last vote is counted," Jealous said in a news release.

Grownup politicians would drool over the voter turnout generated by the election for the new student member of the county school board. Seventy-five percent of all eligible students voted in the election. National voter turnout has hovered around 50 percent since the 1970s. This year's turnout is a slight drop, when compared with last year's election, which attracted 19,454 voters, or about 80 percent of those eligible. Students in grades six through 11 are eligible to cast ballots. Roger Plunkett, the school system's business, community and government relations officer, attributed the slight decrease to several field trips that took place on the day of the election.

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Running for president has always been described in terms of a race. But the race to be nominated for the presidency in 2008 has become a deeply flawed system as the states have engaged in a stampede to schedule the earliest primary. This favors candidates with deep pockets who will rely more on media campaigns instead of campaign stops in each primary state. Instead of a mad dash, the presidential primaries should be a well-paced, cross-country race to give voters, coast to coast, plenty of time to see how the candidates run in each state.

Voter turnout is down from recent off years Turnout for Tuesday's general election was low, compared with that of recent off-year voting for mayor and City Council. By 7 p.m., 37,094 voters had gone to the polls, according to unofficial results provided by Armstead B.C. Jones Sr., the city's elections director. Jones estimated that 5,000 to 6,000 more voters showed up from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The early number compares with 82,212 voters by 7 p.m. in the mayoral general election in 1999, 66,403 voters in 1995, 78,824 in 1991, and 113,775 in 1987, Jones said.

Low turnout saps democracy's vitality It was with much dismay that I heard on the local news and read in The Sun that voter turnout for Baltimore's primary election was so low - at just 28 percent of registered voters ("City's voter turnout is lackluster at 28%," Sept. 12). This is appalling, especially in light of the fact that primary day fell on the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. I believe that it is every American's duty to exercise his or her constitutional right to vote.

Dreary weather and lackluster races were the quick excuses for the turnout in Tuesday's Democratic primary being the city's lowest in decades. But political observers say a more powerful explanation might be at work - the increasing ability of campaigns to identify their base voters and turn them out on Election Day. In municipal contests in Baltimore and across the country, campaign officials no longer troll through neighborhoods trying to drag every...

The mayor's race, you think, is no contest. They're predicting rain after all; you don't want to get wet. Maybe you have to work, get your haircut or, I don't know, watch your new DVD, Grey's Anatomy, The Third Season. So don't vote. Really, stay home. It's OK. Your vote doesn't matter anyway, says Mark J. Perry, an economist, blogger and every civics teacher's worst nightmare. Perry is among a group of academics who delight in turning one of America's most sacred beliefs - that every vote counts - on its head.

Same-day sign-up boosts voter turnout In The Sun's report on "Maryland's missing voters" (March 25), Kimball Brace of Election Data Services correctly notes that Election Day registration can boost voter turnout by 7 percent to 9 percent. But he also says that it presents "enormous complications" for election officials. This is simply not true. Election Day registration, which is the law in seven states and is close to passing in Iowa and elsewhere - is no more complicated than many other election reforms.