Word: turnout
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Despite lively debate among candidates, trends in voter turnout indicate that there may not be a comparable level of enthusiasm from city residents. In the 2007 municipal election, only 13,721 voters cast ballots, although the city boasted nearly 57,000 registered voters at the time...
...student turnout in the absence of a big name artist? Please! Everyone knows to show up for the review session the night before the big test—how else would we ever learn the players, team color, and mascot name of our football team? It’s going to be crucial to act all knowledgeable and football-ey at Yale the next day, while trying to act really drunk in front of that girl in our section who was impressed by how drunk we were at the pep rally that one time...
Even if the weather is not an issue, says Mir, voter apathy is. The long wait for results, political accusations between parties and a prevailing sense of international intervention have bred cynicism. "In this climate, the turnout will be much lower in the second round. And has anybody decided what constitutes an acceptable turnout to give the government legitimacy? Only 5 million voted in the first round [out of 12 million to 16 million registered voters]. What if only 1 million votes are cast this time...
...Kabul University, where election excitement ran high before the Aug. 20 vote, students shrugged off the next round, citing a lack of faith in the process. "We have a problem with these politicians," says Abdul Jabar, 23, a student of Dari literature. "There will be very low turnout because the people have no trust." Ali Farhan, 25, a law student, agrees, saying he won't vote. And Darab Raofi, 20, in the social sciences school, says the whole issue has become boring. "We are talking about the same thing happening again and again. I voted the last time...
Based on results from the first election and popularity polls conducted over the summer, it is most likely that Karzai will win this round, even if turnout is low. That is what worries parliamentarian Daoud Sultanzoy. "The runoff will make the government less legitimate," he reasons. Even if Karzai wins, it doesn't mean that most of the population voted for him, he says. "The best scenario is that the people of this country have confidence and vote in a free and fair election. The worst case is that Pashtun areas will not participate in large numbers, and this will...