Field Update: Precincts Surpassing 2004 Levels Already

More good news! We’re hearing that several youth-dense precincts in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, and Nevada indicate that voter turnout among 18-29 year-olds has already surpassed 2004 levels, or nearly has.

Here are the numbers:

Drexel University (Philadelphia)
2008(as of 1pm): 500 votes cast
2004 total: 425 votes cast

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg)
2008 (as of 3pm): 2,465 votes cast
2004 total: 2,069 votes cast

Florida State University (Tallahassee)
2008 (as of 3pm): 721 votes cast
2004 total: 625 votes cast

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2008 (as of 4pm): 811
2004: 860

At Virginia Tech University and Drexel University lines are now hours long. Download video footage of the situation on the ground at Drexel here: http://qs1195.pair.com/rockvote/110408/

We also continue to see young voters experiencing attempts to keep them from the polls. Voters in Florida, Texas and Arizona have reported receiving the following text message: “Due to long lines today, all Obama voters are asked to vote on Wednesday. Thank you for your cooperation.” View screenshots here: http://www.rockthevote.com/electionday/?name=precincts/pennsylvania.html

In addition, we have also been notified that students attempting to vote at Florida State who are showing student IDs are being turned away. By law, students may use student IDs to vote in Florida, as long as the ID is signed. We are urging individuals to call 1-866-OUR-VOTE if they encounter any problems.

“Across the country we are seeing surges of young people hitting the polls,” said Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote. “However; there are still significant obstacles, including three to four hour lines, logistical challenges and attempts to make voting less accessible to students. Election protection advocates are working hard to make sure every person who registered to vote is allowed to vote.”

Stay tuned: Rock the Vote will have more up to date information as polls begin to close across the country.

Visit www.rockthevote.com for more stories from the polls.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 at 6:03 pm and is filed under young voters, youth vote. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.