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New voters make a splash
Published Tuesday, November 11, 2008
High voter turnout — with the attraction of new voters in 2008 — was evident in Otter Tail County as well as across Minnesota and the nation as a whole.
In Otter Tail County individual voter registration, as of election day, totaled 5,245. And while many of those registrations are the result of people who have new addresses, the total also represents new, and young, voters.
Among them was Fergus Falls 4th Ward voter Jason Lozdoski, 25, who voted for the first time and who represented a new wave of voters throughout Otter Tail County. It was Lozdoski’s first vote for president. He wasn’t able to vote in 2004.
Many of the new voters were Barack Obama supporters, but not all of them. Otter Tail County historically goes Republican, and this was the case for many first-time voters in Fergus Falls and other communities throughout the county.
Young voters have some clout, and they used it, said county leaders of both the DFL and Republican parties.
Prior to the Nov. 4 general election, the State of Minnesota set a new record of around 3.2 million voters registered prior to an election.
Many young voters in Minnesota participated not only in the voting booths. They also knocked on doors and did other chores for their particular candidates at the local, state and national levels.
“It was satisfying to finally take part in the voting process,” said Fergus Falls 4th Ward voter Lozdoski.
He and other Minnesota residents under 30 comprised 18 percent of those who voted in Tuesday's election. As a racially and ethnically diverse generation — such as young voters in Pelican Rapids — people had an appreciation for a candidate of mixed race.
Even so, many young voters in Pelican Rapids and elsewhere in Otter Tail County voted for John McCain.
Molly Andolina, a political science professor at DePaul University, says there are early signs that Obama may bring young people together, something her students talked about in classes after the election.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by wiersma (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It was disturbing to see how polarized people were on this presidential election. There was so much misinformation on both sides about candidates it was disgusting. It really bothered me when I heard that a grandma told her grand daughter that Obama kills babies by putting them in the closet and letting them die.
Posted by lifterpuller (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 11:20 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by hsj (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 11:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, I'm reading this article thinking that I'll obtain statistical information on the vote in the county. Instead, I get generalizations: "Many new voters. . . ..but not all of them"; "Even so, many new voters. . . John McCain". Are there any facts to validate this article? Are stats available to tell us how many new voters registered? The article states "5,245 voter registrations" going on to say "many. . .". How many? It appears to me that the author of this article failed to do his homework.
Posted by rodentboy (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 11:34 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by fergusmnmom (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lifterpuller, you are kidding right? It's hard to tell these days on this site...
Posted by Thomas (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 12:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As of today county auditor Wayne Stein does not have the breakdown between new voters and those who registered as those with new addresses.....that's why generalizations had to be made...
Posted by rodentboy (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 1:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
dang, i was chipmunked
Posted by Confused (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 8:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If your 25 years old and voting for the first time ever, thats sad. I think alot of people in this last election voted for the wrong reason...wanted to be a part of something historical, etc...get out, get involved...
Just my thoughts
Posted by Mr_Lincoln (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 9:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Obama IS pro choice but is agianst capital punishment.Kill the baby but not a murder.
Posted by PunkinPie (anonymous) on November 11, 2008 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ugh.. It makes me angry when they remove comments on the site.. I want to see what they said! I don't care if someone else didn't like it. :-(
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