Big turnout in Virginia?

The Webb campaign expresses confidence, suggesting today has brought the highest voter turnout in the state since 1994.

Published November 7, 2006 11:39PM (EST)

As a blizzard of leaked exit poll numbers pass through BlackBerrys here at the Capitol Hill Hyatt, I'm told that officials at the State Board of Elections in Virginia informed the Jim Webb campaign several hours ago that they were predicting a 65 percent statewide turnout based on Tuesday morning traffic at the polls.

If true, that would represent the highest turnout for a midterm election in Virginia since 1994, when 69 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. It would also be far higher than the 45 percent of voters who voted for governor in 2005, or the 39.4 percent who voted in 2002.

The Webb campaign is considering this a good sign, especially since the campaign's internal weekend-tracking poll showed Webb beating Sen. George Allen by four points.


By Michael Scherer

Michael Scherer is Salon's Washington correspondent. Read his other articles here.

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