Posted on 01/30/2012 5:56:09 PM PST by varina davis
More than 600,000 Republicans have already turned in their ballots for Tuesday’s Florida primary.
By Troy Kinsey , Capitol Reporter Last Updated: Monday, January 30, 2012
More than 600,000 Republicans have already turned in their ballots for Tuesday’s Florida primary.
That's around 100,000 more early and absentee votes compared to four years ago, meaning the vote Tuesday may not matter nearly as much.
Absentee voting began nearly a month ago. Early voting kicked off more than a week ago.
The Republican Party of Florida's Brian Hughes says between 30 and 40 percent of the primary vote is already in.
"The campaigns have been aggressive in targeting these early voters and they really have to, because when you have 600,000-plus voters already voting before Election Day, if you haven't paid attention to them, you're going to lose a huge block of votes," Hughes said.
GOP strategist Pete Dunbar doesn't buy that theory.
"Both candidates, or actually, the two major candidates, have had sufficient resources," Dunbar said. "I just think Speaker Gingrich may have been late deploying his."
In the end, no matter who trails in the early vote, the candidates still have a chance to catch up Tuesday, when around a million Republicans are expected to flood the polls.
That estimate is based on turnout in 2008, when many people who otherwise wouldn't have voted showed up to weigh in on a property tax cut on that year's ballot.
Just a hunch, but I suspect Newt has a lot more early votes than folks expect and that might be a reason that Romney is dirty dancing all over Newt’s race in Florida.
Stop the early voting. I don’t think you can guarantee that these votes are getting counted.
Absentee ballots are huge for voter fraud. Hope not but the increase in absentee ballots is scary.
I hope your hunch is right. I’m getting depressed listening to Fox tonight. Trying to hang on to hear Newt and Sarah on Hannity before changing the channel . . . about to hit the mute button until then.
I figure, a bunch of snowbirds in FL . . . and hope the results in SC are more reflective of how the people feel right now about candidates and this race.
Not good for Gingrich. I guess we will see what happens. There was a time in early voting when Gingrich was way ahead though, so that may help him as well.
But, I am thinking Gingrich loses tomorrow. The other polls don’t show him surging like the one posted yesterday, so I think it’s over for Florida. We will have to look ahead to later after a sure loss in NV and likely other northern states.
Why would you say that? In Texas those votes are counted first. In fact they are counted the Sunday before election day, and the results are kept under wraps. They are then released promptly just after poll closing time.
Let now your heart be troubled ;-)
Newt will be in the race regardless, yes it’s 29 votes but it takes over 1100 to win the nomination. It ain’t over til it’s over and my fervent hope is that Newt does well, and Yr. Humble Correspondent has to eat his bold and fresh predictions.
I have been wanting to post "Do you believe in Miracles!" aka the 1980 Hockey Team, it could happen...
I thought it was 50?
There are many of us Florida conservatives - myself included - who are registered Democrats. Why? To screw them up when they put a wacko up for elected office. Soooo, just because Romney may win doesn’t mean that Newt does not have lots of support in the state.
Do you get to vote in the Republican Primaries?
In a primary this important, you should have switched back.
I think people began voting for Newt right after the S.C. primary, by absentee and in person at the polls that opened for early voting over a week ago.
In TN the names of the people who voted early are published in their local newspaper the Sunday before Election Day...
I’m really hoping that the SC win was at the right time for a Newt bump in the absentees.
Report earlier this week says that Newt has connected more to modern technology....Poll today has those under forty going Newts way.
It occured to me that many people under forty do not have land lines. They use their cell phones. Polls are conducted over land lines. Think that may have happened in SC too. That’s why polls were so off.
That why I’m calling it for Newt 24 hours early.
Take that MSM
From one Hoosier mama to another — I’m with you!
>> In a primary this important, you should have switched back.
Agreed, but I’m stuck out of state.
no I;m here.
Paul and Romney right after NH went after absentee.
Now we have a closed primary and photo ID so how is the best way to get round all of that, yep absentee.
Romney with his elitist north east pals using vacation addresses down here and the vote down here and up there back in their state and maybe NH.
Romney looked at absentee here and no other state now does that not make it , mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.