In spite of cold weather and a few inches of blanketed snow, voters from Independence Township, Springfield Township, and the City of the Village of Clarkston still found their way to the polls for the 2008 Presidential Primary election Tuesday, Jan. 15.
‘I’m glad that we did have a turnout that was not bad. Especially with the weather, the weather did not do us any favors,? said Sandy Miller, elections administrator for Independence Township. ‘So I am happy with the turnout we had, we always like to have as many people vote as possible.?
Out of a total 25,912 registered voters, 6,157 ballots were cast, giving Independence Township a 23.76 percent turnout.
The voting percentage might have been higher had the Detroit Court Case against Jackie Currie had not happened, said Miller.
‘If we could have had more applications for absentee voting going on, I think the turnout would have been a little bit better,? she said. ‘Because there was a lot of people who didn’t know about it, until the last minute and said ‘oh just forget it,? which is unfortunate.?
Independence Township Clerk Shelagh Vanderveen said she was ‘surprised? at the turnout of voters.
‘I’ve talked to people in the past and they’ve said ‘oh, there is an election,?? she said.
Vanderveen said she thinks publicity concerning absentee ballots helped bring more people out to the polls. She said the township was even getting calls from people out of state wanting to vote. Overall, she said it was a successful day.
‘There wasn’t a lot of people that were upset about, number one, having to show their I.D. and number two, having to pick a ballot for Republican or Democrat, so I was happy that everybody on the whole were very nice to our poll workers and we didn’t have too many problems,? she said.
However, the township did receive a lot of calls from residents wondering which precinct to vote at, because they had voted absentee for so long, noted Vanderveen.
In Springfield Township, the election ran smoothly despite new regulations and nearly six inches of fresh snow.
‘I’m very pleased and really proud of our election inspectors,? said township Clerk Nancy Strole. ‘Every single one of them arrived at the polls on time, despite having to drive through a blizzard to get there.?
Strole, who estimated she had about 45 citizens sign up and complete mandatory training to work the township’s seven precincts, said each of the election inspectors worked hard to gain a solid understanding of new laws requiring voters to produce photo identification.
The election was made more complex for poll workers, she said, by the first-time issuance of dual ballots, as well as a state requirement prohibiting any distinction whatsoever between the Democratic and Republican ballots.
Out of a total of 10,085 registered voters, 2,685 ballots were cast, giving Springfield Township a 26.62 percent turnout.
The City of the Village of Clarkston also had a good turnout with 794 registered voters, 269 ballots were cast, showing a 33.88 percent turnout.
Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton were declared the winners of the state of Michigan.
Laura Colvin contributed to this report.