Voter turnout records appear higher this year than previous years in Minnesota as well as in the Northfield area.

Election day in Minnesota turned out 69.4% of the total voting age population. When the polls opened 2,801,077 citizens were registered to vote in the state, and by closing time on Nov. 7, at 8 p.m. just over 87% of those registered to vote had indeed made it to the polls. Only 69% of all registered voters made it to the polls in 1996, and 60% in 1998.

Precinct 3, Ward 1 (All of St. Olaf campus excluding Hill-Kitt) had a registered voter turnout of 69.5% In Precinct 2, Ward 2, (Hill-Kitt) voter turnout of registered voters was closer to the state level with just over 76%.

Both precincts which included St. Olaf students had decidedly Democratic tastes. In Precinct 3-1, Gore took 60% of the vote, Bush mustered only 27% of the vote, and Nader got a little over 10.5% of the vote. In Precinct 2-2 Gore held 57% of the vote, Bush took 35% of the vote, and Nader received 7.5% of the vote.

All in all, voting trends in Minnesota as well as on campus seemed very healthy. Political Awareness Committee (PAC) coordinator, John Farrell estimated that "at least half of the student body voted in the election." PAC provided a bus service to the polls all day long

For more information visit the Minnesota Secretary of State's webpage : www.elections.sos.state.mn.us.