Will rain wash out voters?

~Today's forecast calls for showers in the morning that could keep some voters from heading to the polls.

Voters in the Cape Girardeau area likely will face showers when they go to the polls today. Whether rain will affect the Election Day parade of voters remains to be seen.

Light rain blanketed the area Monday, and forecasters said similar weather could greet people today with temperatures climbing into the mid-50s to low-60s.

Showers are expected, particularly early in the day. Clouds will hang over the region throughout the day, said meteorologist David Humphrey with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

Sunny, dry weather is expected starting Wednesday and extending into Friday with highs in the 60s, he said.

Friday's high temperature could break 70 degrees. "Friday is looking to be the nicest day," Humphrey said.

But another cold front is expected to move into the area over the weekend. That is expected to bring another chance of rain and with it slightly lower temperatures, he said. Temperatures are expected to dip into the low 60s for a high.

Friday night or Saturday morning offers the best chance of rain, he said.

Will the gloomy forecast affect voter turnout? A national study of weather and the presidential elections since 1948 suggests that rain on election days helps Republican candidates and hurts Democratic candidates.

Some political observers theorize that inclement weather hurts Democratic candidates at the polls because Democratic voters tend to be poorer and may not have cars to drive to the polls. Another theory is that Democratic voters tend to be more casual voters and feel less compelled to vote in every election.

Dr. Russell Renka, political science professor at Southeast Missouri State University, said rain could reduce voter turnout locally but shouldn't be a major factor in statewide contests.

A heated U.S. Senate race and a ballot crowded with controversial constitutional amendments such as the stem-cell initiative and the tobacco tax increase should help draw voters to the polls, Renka said.

The Republican Party is working to get wavering voters to the polls, he said. Democratic voters see the election as a referendum on President Bush. "There is a certain amount of feeling that this is a chance to speak back to George Bush," Renka said. "They are not going to be deterred that readily by rain."

He argued that casual voters who would be deterred most by weather typically don't vote in mid-term elections.

Election or not, Cape Girardeau Public Works crews want dry weather as they gear up to vacuum and haul off piles of leaves stacked along residential streets. Crews spend four weeks hauling off leaves each fall, starting on the south end of town and ending on the city's north side.

Rain can make removing the leaves harder, public works director Tim Gramling said. "It kind of slows us down just like anything else."

City crews will be out collecting leaves rain or shine, he said. "We will still pretty much muddle through it," Gramling said.

The large vacuum units suck up even wet and frozen leaves, he said. The real problem is that wet leaves can't be compacted as much so crews can haul off fewer leaves in a single truckload.

City crews took the vacuum trucks for test drives during Monday's rain. Crews picked up piles of leaves to make sure the equipment was running smoothly.

"We usually hire part-timers every year," Gramling said. "This kind of gives us a chance to get them trained."

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123