1,000 new voters register

By Sonny Turner
sonny@athensnews-courier.com

January 29, 2008 10:20 pm

— More than 1,000 Limestone County residents have registered to vote since last November, which could mean a record turnout at the polls Tuesday in the first-ever February presidential preference primary, an official said.
“We have been registering 70 to 80 new voters per day for the past two weeks,” said Limestone County Board of Registrars Chairman Lee Liveoak. “Prior to that, we had 30 to 40 come in to register. In all, we’ve had more than 1,000 register since the last election in November of last year.”
Voter registration closed Friday but the deadline for absentee ballot applications is Thursday at 5 p.m. More than 100 have already cast absentee ballots.
There are 41,019 registered voters in Limestone County, Liveoak said.
“This is the first time for Alabama to be a player in the election process in February,” said Limestone County Probate Judge Mike Davis. “All the presidential candidates have either been or will be coming through the state by Election Day Tuesday. The interest is there. We could have a record turnout, but it’s hard to say since we’ve never had this election in February. It’s going to be interesting.”
To cast an absentee ballot, voters must call Limestone County Circuit Clerk Charles Page at (256) 233-6406 or go to his office on the bottom floor of the Limestone County Courthouse.
Davis estimates that Limestone County will have election results tallied within two hours after the polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’re asking that voters pay close attention to their voter location when they receive their voter identification card by mail,” Davis said.
Voters with additional questions about Tuesday’s election should call Limestone County Elections Director Bobbi Bailey at (256) 233-6427.