Voter Turnout & Democratic Wrap-Up

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land says about 3.3 million voters cast ballots in Michigan yesterday.

That’s 44.9% percent of the state’s registered voters.

It was a little less than the 52%, or 3.8 million voters, she’d estimated would turn out.

The U.P. reflects about the same percentage but edged a little higher.

In an informal poll of county clerk’s offices in the U.P., Houghton County had the highest turnout, at almost 53%.

The percentage of those voting yesterday was lower than in both the 2002 and 2006 gubernatorial elections.

Many people around the country felt the midterm election yesterday would be a rough day for Democrats.

And those predictions proved accurate.

You’d have a hard time today recognizing Marquette County Democratic headquarters as the same place where supporters gathered for several months.

The local party chair says while he’s disappointed in the results, he’s known voters nationwide have been angry for years.

Tony Tollefson says it’s entirely possible that that anger may lead to another voter demand for change two years from now.

He’s grateful for local volunteers’ efforts, even given the results.

The U.P. will now have just one Democratic voice in either Lansing or Washington — Marquette State Rep Steve Lindberg.