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Official says voter turnout extraordinarily high, Military electronic voting program

Voter turnout in the state looks "extraordinarily high," pointing to a projected turnout as high as 60 to 70 percent in one county.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill says there were a few minor hiccups around the state as polls opened this morning, but nothing that directly affected voting or voter participation.

Baldwin County Probate Judge Tim Russell sys his county is slightly unusual, as it is home to a large retiree population which doesn't have to worry about leaving work to get to the polls.  He projects turnout well above 50 percent in several precincts and one as high as 74 percent.

Russell says the majority of Baldwin County voters are showing up for the presidential primary, as there are few local races on the ballot.

As Alabama takes part in Super Tuesday today, election officials will have a few less absentee ballots than usual to count.

That’s because Alabama is now the first state in the country to implement a fully electronic voting system for military members deployed overseas. The ballot has been made available online to deployed soldiers for years, but it had to be printed and mailed back as an absentee ballot. Election officials say it typically took the soldiers’ ballots about 30 days to arrive at the voting precincts, and many failed to meet the deadline.

Secretary Merrill says he had to come up with a better solution…

“To me, it’s more important that their vote be counted, and their voice be heard, than it is anybody else, because if it were not for them doing what they’re doing, we couldn’t do what we’re doing.”

Deployed military members will now log in to a secure portal to access their ballot and cast their vote, which will be counted immediately.

More than half a million people visited the U.S. Space and Rocket Center last year making it Alabama’s number one tourism attraction.

Located in Huntsville, the center has brought more attraction than some of Alabama’s favorites like The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and the Birmingham Zoo.

Tim Hall is the vice president for business and media initiatives at the space and rocket center. He explains that the attraction for the space and rocket center does not stop in Alabama, but instead the center is being talked about overseas as well.

“We’re honored. We’re thankful for the support the state of Alabama gives us when Alabama talks about amazing things when the governor’s office and tourism officials go overseas. We know they talk about Huntsville. We are thankful for that.”

He explains that the space and rocket center offers activities for people of all ages and that there is always something new to learn and see because the exhibits change all the times.

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