By
Jeremy Duda
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Several nearby locations are conveniently close to campus
Voters will no longer be in suspense after tonight when the outcome of one of the nation's closest presidential races in history is determined.
Pima county is expected to have a voter turnout of 70 to 72 percent of registered voters, or about 42 percent of eligible voters, said Mitch Etter, the Pima county elections manager. This will be higher than the turnout for the 1996 presidential elections, which drew 62 percent of registered voters in this county, he said.
"This time we do not have an incumbent, so both parties will be doing all they can to get the vote out," Etter said
Many University of Arizona students will cast their ballots for the first time, and there are several polling places conveniently near campus. The First Christian Church, at 740 E. Speedway Blvd., Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 1949 E. Helen St., and the Water Resource Research Center, 350 N. Campbell, are three such places.
Anyone who is unsure about the location of the nearest polling place to them can look at the precinct number on their voter registration card. The corresponding locations can be found at www.azstarnet.com/~pimacty.
Shuttles to the polling places will be provided by Arizona Students Association between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. The meeting place for those wishing to take a shuttle will be west of the fountain at Old Main.
Polling places are expected to be busy all day, but the busiest times will be during lunch and both rush hours, Etter said.
One group that is expected to have a low turnout is the youth vote, said Henry Kenski, a UA professor of political science and communication.
"I don't think the campaigns have stressed hitting the campuses," said Kenski. "Only the campuses where Nader has been active will have higher-than-usual participation."
The Arizona Daily Wildcat conducted a poll showing that 51 percent of students at the university support Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore, as opposed to about 30 percent for Republican candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush. This may seem encouraging for Gore supporters, but that is only for UA students. National polls show the two candidates sometimes in a statistical dead heat, someimes they have Bush slightly ahead.
Senior citizens, who make up a large percentage of Arizona's population, generally have higher participation rates for elections than their younger counterparts, and therefore draw more attention from the candidates, Kenski said.
