Word: voter
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...electorate is already showing a level of political interest higher than in previous general elections. More than three million people have cast early ballots, up more than 50% from the 2005 general election. And voter turnout, for 104 million eligible voters, could reach 70% - the highest rate for a general election since 1990. (See pictures of Japan in 1989 and Japan...
...raises the tantalizing question of how such delusional psychology might be applied to our other problems. There are already plans for Dollars for Dishwashers; buyers will get a rebate if they scrap that energy-sucking appliance for a more efficient one. Arizonans debated boosting election-day turnout with the Voter Reward Act, which proposed treating ballots like lottery tickets: one lucky voter would have won a million dollars. New York City pays public-school students to get good grades...
...Then there is the militant menace, which succeeded in diminishing voter turnout in much of the south. In at least two instances, promises to cut off the fingers of those who voted were made good on. The extra time and mounting pressure of a runoff would create a climate that could be readily exploited, according to Mir, by the Taliban or "neighbors who like to meddle in Afghan affairs" - a less-than-subtle reference to Pakistan. "If someone wants to make trouble, it's a good time." (Read about the warlord who is key to Karzai's victory...
...election day got underway in the north, the streets were calm in Mazar-i-Sharif, a largely ethnic Tajik city. At a girls school that had been turned into a voting station, Assadullah, 52, casually checked incoming voters on polling day Thursday. The Tajik security guard himself was a partisan of Abdullah Abdullah. In a way, he was following orders. Assadullah had once fought under Mohammad Atta, an ex-mujahideen commander who now governs the province and who has thrown his support behind Abdullah. Meanwhile, Palwasha, 19, a beaming first-time voter, giggled as she declined a request to reveal...
...voting station opened in southern Helmand province, where Taliban calls for a boycott held sway. In Kandahar, a "night letter" campaign ahead of the vote forewarned residents that their fingers would be cut off if they dared to participate. Many still braved the threat, but observers suggested that voter turnout there was perhaps as much as 40% lower than 2004 elections - a potential setback for President Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun counting on his southern base. (Read a story about the warlord who is key to Karzai's victory...