Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.metro From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Precincts report record turnout Date: Wed, 4 Nov 92 16:16:30 EST Message-ID: \SE B;METROPOLITAN \HD Precincts report record turnout \BY Jim Clardy and Todd Spangler \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Record voter turnout in the Washington area created major headaches for election officials and sore feet for voters, some of whom had to wait up to two hours to cast ballots. Registrars around the area reported unprecedented long lines as thousands of voters waited well into the night for the chance to cast ballots. But while many of those voters helped usher in a change of leadership in the White House, they opted mostly for the status quo in local races. They returned virtually every area congressional incumbent while defeating two tax-cap proposals in the Maryland suburbs and decisively rejecting a referendum that would have reimposed the death penalty in the District. Several analysts last night said the heavily hyped "Year of the Challenger" failed to materialize in the area. "Washingtonians do value government experience and see that as something valuable in its elected public servants," said John McGlennon, a professor at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. But there were some exceptions. Voters in Prince George's County approved term limits for local offices while District voters overwhelmingly approved a measure which limits to $100 the amount given to candidates for mayor, council chairman and at-large council members. District residents also soundly rejected a congressionally mandated death-penalty referendum which would have allowed the imposition of capital punishment for first-degree murder. Northern Virginia voters returned both congressional incumbents, Democratic Rep. James P. Moran, who won a second term in the 8th District, and Republican Rep. Frank Wolf, who won his twelfth term from the state's 10th District. Voters in the newly created 11th District elected Virginia's first female member of Congress: Democratic state Delegate Leslie Byrne, who edged Republican Henry Butler in one of the area's nastiest races. In Maryland, the voters did as expected - but in some cases they did it more strongly than expected. The state's abortion referendum, writing into Maryland law the guarantees provided by the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, passed by a surprisingly large margin. With most of the votes counted, the measure appeared to be coasting to an easy victory, by a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent. Polls last week had shown a much closer margin. Maryland's voters overwhelmingly re-elected Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski, despite a "throw the rascals out" sentiment that many state residents cited but, apparently, refused to act out. Republican Alan Keyes, a former diplomat and official with Citizens Against Government Waste, may have hurt himself when he decided to collect a salary from his campaign worth more than $100,000 a year. "That was the only thing I knew about him," said Tim Crockett, a Centreville, Md., resident. "I went Mikulski." In Maryland's eight congressional races, voters sent six incumbents back to Washington while in the other two races there were no incumbents. The state's redrawn 1st District, made up of the Eastern Shore and parts of Anne Arundel County, featured a race between two incumbents, Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, and 4th District Rep. Tom McMillen, a Democrat who chose to run against the 1st District incumbent Mr. Gilchrest rather than defend his seat in a redrawn 4th District. Rep. Steny Hoyer, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, survived a strong challenge by Republican Larry Hogan Jr., representing the only significant move to threaten an incumbent. Bruce Poole, leader of the Democratic majority in the state House of Delegates, said that while there was a general anti-incumbent mood aimed at Congress, voters in Maryland never specifically blamed their local representatives for the nation's problems. Unseasonably warm weather and a three-candidate presidential race helped generate record voter turnout at the Beacon Heights Elementary School in Riverdale, where 200 people were in line at 8:20 last night. While some registered complaints about the two-hour wait, few said they would leave before voting. "We've been waiting for a change for four years and it's worth waiting two hours to vote," said one Clinton supporter. Andrea K. Beach, a supporter of President Bush, said she had tried twice to vote earlier in the day and was growing exasperated. "I believe my vote counts, but in a democratic society it's getting very difficult to enjoy the privilege of voting," she said. "I would have been a little disappointed if I hadn't gotten to vote," said Sherman Beal, who was voting in Northeast Washington. "This is my first time here, I've never used the privilege before, but I would have done anything to get George Bush out of there. I would have voted for Bart Simpson." In Maryland, poll workers got little rest from the heavy morning turnout. Even by 11 a.m., voters at one Prince George's County elementary school had to endure an hourlong wait. In the District, officials apparently underestimated the need for poll workers. "They should have anticipated this," said Ward 1 D.C. Council member Frank Smith, as he looked over nearly 70 people standing in line at Marie Reed Learning Center in the District. Precinct captain Chester Martin, who has been volunteering for elections for more than 20 years, said the turnout at the recreation center yesterday was the largest he'd ever seen. * Lorraine Woellert, Janet Naylor, Margaret Rankin and William Foreman, Vincent McCraw and Jonetta Rose Barrascontributed to this report. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM