By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – Record voter registrations and record absentee voting in Alabama is causing election officials to predict a record turnout on Tuesday.
Secretary of State Beth Chapman is forecasting a turnout of 79 percent to 81 percent. If she's correct, that will break the old record of 76 percent set in the 1992 presidential election.
The election momentum began building in February with a record turnout of 40 percent for Alabama's presidential primary. Then Alabama set a voter registration record with more than 3 million names.
Counties are also reporting record absentee balloting. For instance, Lee County Circuit Clerk Corinne Hurst says her east Alabama county had 2,100 absentee ballots four years ago. This time she's looking at 3,200.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)