Election 2008
(2008-06-05)
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A mix of newly registered and excited voters fueled Barack Obama's landslide victory in Georgia's Presidential Primary in February.
With Obama now securing the nomination, State Democratic Party chair Jane Kidd hopes for a repeat performance in November.
KIDD: We're very excited and I believe it's going to bring some new energy and new enthusiasm to the polls and to the process of voting in Georgia.
Kidd hopes Obama's popularity will pull the US Senate contest and other state races towards Democrats. Not so fast says Ben Fry; executive director of Georgia's Republican Party.
FRY: We're not going to take anything for granted. We're going to work hard every day and run like we're 20 points behind.
Fry hopes that grass roots approach, which has given Republicans control of Georgia since 2002, will throw the state to John McCain. It's also the same strategy Democrats hope will work for them.
While Republicans and Democrats craft their strategies, Georgia's elections department is bracing for extremely high voter turnout in November.
The Secretary of State's focus on the fall election is a result of Super Tuesday when 45 percent of Georgia's registered voters cast ballots. Primary turnout hasn't been that high since 1988.
The spike has prompted Secretary of State Karen Handel to step up preparations says spokesperson Matt Carrothers.
CARROTHERS: She and her elections staff are going to meet with local elections officials to share questions ideas and feedback in preparation for the upcoming November elections.
Carrothers also says Handel will heavily recruit for young, tech savvy volunteers for Georgia's electronic verification systems.
Handel has yet to predict voter turnout for November, but her office says it could be historic. © Copyright 2009, WABE
