Voter turnout 26 percent in Lancaster County

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By HILARY KINDSCHUH / Lincoln Journal Star

Years ago, Ken Watson was talked into voting, and he hasn’t missed an election since.

“I’ve always been a political person, spilling out my two cents about the process,” said Watson, 48. “I had some friends ask me, ‘Did you vote?’

“I said, ‘No,’ and they said, ‘Well then, don’t complain.’”

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Johnson County Central junior Kyle Dieckgrafe takes Robert Grieser's ballot in Tecumseh's Community Building, the Nemaha 1 polling place, Tuesday morning. (Robert Becker)

After all the votes had been counted Tuesday evening, Election Commissioner Dave Shively said Lancaster County voter turnout was higher than he had predicted — at about 26 percent. 

Last week, he predicted just 22 percent of voters would go to the polls, despite a surge this year in voter registration and a large number of early ballot requests.

“I’m glad when they prove me wrong,” he said.

Today, Shively will examine precinct-by-precinct tallies across the county to see if certain legislative races drew big numbers to their respective polling places.

Secretary of State John Gale had said he was expecting just 27 percent of registered voters statewide would cast ballots in the primary.

That relatively low rate, he said, was a reflection of the few high-profile races in the state, a limited number of county offices on the ballot and the fact the Nebraska presidential primaries won’t have much effect on the parties’ national conventions.

Statewide turnout in recent primary elections has been up and down. The 2006 primary election drew 35 percent of registered voters, compared with 21 percent in 2004.

At Watson’s polling place, in the Highlands, election worker Drew Nelson said turnout had been about normal, maybe a little low.

“It’ll pick up later today when people walk around with their ‘I Voted Today!’ stickers and shame their co-workers into voting,” Nelson predicted.

Watson said he still didn’t think enough people exercised their right to vote, and by not voting, they risked losing that right.

“The idea that my vote doesn’t count — well, if you don’t vote, you’re right, it doesn’t.”

As Watson left the polling station, Tom and Patti Goodwater got out of their pickup with their two granddaughters in tow.

“We never miss an election,” Tom Goodwater said.

“We have the right to vote, and we want to use that right,” Patti Goodwater said.

Reach Hilary Kindschuh at 473-7120 or hkindschuh@journalstar.com. Reporter Cory Matteson contributed to this story.