I voted in Northern Virginia this morning, after the initial rush. I had virtually no line at my polling place, but driving around I could spot several polling spots, including one in downtown Fairfax City, with lines out the door. According to a staffer in a statewide office, by 10:00 a.m. 50% of registered voters had cast ballots, an extraordinary turnout. What if 80-90% of voters turn out? It is hard to say, since Virginians don’t register by party. But keep in mind: there were several hundred thousand new voters this year, which many suspect tilt in Barack Obama’s favor.
I happened to be on campus at George Mason University, a large, mostly commuter school in Fairfax. I chatted with a volunteer for the College Republicans, Josh St. Louis, who with several friends was manning a table in the student commons building. His guess is that the student population breaks down 70-30% in Barack Obama’s favor. He and his colleagues were also dispatched to the adjoining neighborhood to canvas and run the phone bank. And the Democratic students? Lots of activity at their table. (But they smartly brought baked goods.)
