Ted Yoakum
News Reporter
We’ve finally reached the beginning of November, meaning the end of this year’s electric election cycle is fast approaching.
While Election Day may only be six days away, news on the races from around the nation, the state, and here in Kalamazoo are showing little signs of slowing down.
Here’s the latest political headlines leading up to next week:
Race is tied, but most think Obama will win: Reuters/Ipsos poll [Reuters]
According to a new poll released Tuesday by Ipsos on behalf of Reuters, President Barack Obama holds a one point lead over challenger Mitt Romney, 48 percent to 47 percent. While these numbers show that the race in virtual dead heat, 53 percent of all respondents said they believe that the sitting US President will win a second term in the White House on Nov. 6, with only 29 percent saying that Romney will win the election. A majority of respondents also said that they believe Obama will win their state come Election Day.
Ipsos also released new poll numbers from yesterday, where the company gathered data from the pivotal battleground states of Virginia, Ohio, Florida and Colorado. According to their numbers, Obama holds a lead of less than 3 points in both Ohio and Virginia, while Romney holds a one point lead in Colorado. In Florida, both candidates are tied with 47 percent.
Rasmussen released their daily presidential tracking poll yesterday as well, which showed 49 percent of respondents choosing Romney, versus 47 percent for Obama.
These close numbers are a continuation of the trend seen throughout nearly the entire month of October. Although the Democrat came into the beginning of last month with a solid lead over his Republican challenger, Romney’s strong performance during his first debate against Obama on Oct. 8 propelled him ahead of the President in subsequent polls. Although the two candidates remained on more level footing in the two debates that followed, neither candidate has been able to assert a solid lead over the other, which is a good indicator that Tuesday’s vote will be extremely close.
What way will the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners go? [MLive]
Redistricting changes made to Kalamazoo County could help Democrats capture majority control of the county board of commissioners, according to a story published today by Fritz Klug for MLive.com.
This is the first election since the number of county commissioners were reduced from 17 to 11, resulting in new, larger districts. While most of the county’s seats are expected to remain with their current occupants, districts 5 and 7, don’t have any incumbent chairs. If Democrats win both of those seats, their party members would outnumber the Republican membership.
Voting Can Be Tricky Business in Michigan [Bridge Magazine]
Chris Andrews with Bridge Magazine posted an article today that covers some of the current pitfalls of Michigan’s current voting system, to help potential voters prepare for any potential snafus while visiting the polling booth next week.
Some issues that Andrews tells voters to anticipate are:
- Some polling locations may use electronic scanners to run voter’s drivers licenses after they are finished voting. The purpose of this scan is merely to add the voter’s name to list of people who have voted, in order to prevent voter fraud. This scan is actually optional, as voters can request to have their name added manually instead.
- Voters will be asked to present a photo ID to volunteers before they are allowed to vote. However, those who don’t have an ID can still vote if they agree to sign an affidavit affirming your identity.
- First time voters who live on a college campus outside of their permanent residence will be able to cast an absentee ballot, as state law requires these voters to visit the polls in person in order to reduce the chances of voter fraud.
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