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Record Turnout Predicted in New Hampshire, Odd Rules Abound

New Hampshire's Secretary of State Richard Gardner is predicting a record turnout for Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Gardner estimates 500,000 — or 60 percent of the 830,684 registered voters — will cast ballots....The most votes cast in a presidential primary — 396,385 — were cast in 2000.

Here's the stats on registered voters as of Friday:

Of the 830,684 on the voter list, 373,397 or 45 percent are undeclared; 243,914 or 29 percent are Republican; and 213,373 or 26 percent are Democrats.

As betweens Dems and Republicans, factoring in the undeclared voters: [More...]

Gardner also is predicting 150,000 undeclared voters will participate with 90,000 deciding to vote in the Democratic primary and 60,000 for a Republican candidate. He based his estimate on absentee numbers from selected towns around the state. Undeclared absentee ballots in college towns are "overwhelmingly" selecting the Democratic ballot, he said. Gardner predicts the split will be 260,000 votes for Democrats and 240,000 for Republican candidates.

There's absentee voting in New Hampshire which means students from N.H. attending schools outside of state can vote by mail. College students in New Hampshire can vote so long as they declare New Hampshire their domicile.

And check this out. The undeclared voters can pick a party at the time they go to vote -- and then switch right back after voting. (See Par. #2 under Presidential Primary section.)

Undeclared voters may declare a party and vote at any primary. The law allows an undeclared voter to declare a party at the polls, vote the ballot of that party, and then change their party affiliation back to undeclared simply by completing the form available from the Supervisors of the Checklist at the polling place.
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    hmmmm (none / 0) (#1)
    by Judith on Sat Jan 05, 2008 at 12:28:53 PM EST
    that last part seems very odd.Would an undelcared of eiter party pretend to be of the other party to help pick who the nominee they think can be beaten?  Would people waste their time?