America Votes - Duncan Hames joins the 'Get out the Vote' effort.

4.21.43pm GMT Tue 2nd Nov 2004

Westbury Lib Dem spokesman, Cllr Duncan Hames, has joined US Democrats on the campaign to elect John Kerry and to stop Bush.

Electors have been voting early - reports Duncan Hames in Virginia, United States.

Before we even reached polling day in the US elections, millions of people had voted early under a range of options introduced in each state. Some used 'absentee' ballots, rather like UK postal votes, while others were able to vote in shopping centres up to three weeks earlier.

But for those voting on election day, the 6am opening of the polling stations just wasn't early enough. In the Washington DC suburbs there were 100 person or more queues to vote outside polling stations throughout the morning.

"It looks like the turnout will be very high indeed - certainly in the 'swing states'" observed Lib Dem spokesman Duncan Hames who is visiting America on the campaign trail with the US Democrats.

Cllr Hames had originally been due to join the Democrat team in Maryland, but was moved to northern Virginia when successive polls put forecasts of the result there within the margin of error.

"Virginia has voted for Republican presidential candidates for forty years, and George Bush is counting on the state to back him." Says Cllr Hames.

"But a growing Democrat vote in the northern area and Washington DC suburbs, coupled with a big rise in voter registration amongst traditionally strongly Democratic communities could be about to change that." He explained.

In the US, millions of dollars have been spent on political advertising, much of it by organisations other than the political parties.

Independent, non partisan, campaigns also feature in the election. The 'Rock the Vote' campaign has posters on bill boards in the cities in which well known names from show business urge people, somewhat aggressively to 'Vote or Die'.

"The atmosphere here is electric. So many Americans have really strong views on the President - on both sides. It's great to see so many people so excited about their vote."

Not all the news about the election is positive though. There are frequent reports of voter intimidation - or 'challenge', by party activists inside the polling stations.

"Everyone hopes the election result will not be decided by lawyers this time around." says Cllr Duncan Hames.

"Every campaign team here in every district has their own legal adviser. After the last election, no-one here is confident of a straight-forward electoral process, let alone a simple count." Says Cllr Hames.

There are also non-partisan telephone banks of volunteer lawyers from an organisation called 'Election Protection', on hand for anyone struggling to exercise their right to vote at the polling station. The polling stations themselves are operated largely by non-party volunteers, with only the more senior electoral officials coming from local government offices.

"It may sound like a nice idea for people to volunteer to help administer the elections, but is adds to the somewhat chaotic arrangements at the polls. As a political candidate back in England, having seen this here in the US, I will be even more grateful to our local government officers who spend their whole day quietly and efficiently making sure that our elections run smoothly." Concludes Cllr Hames.

Related Links:

[US Electoral Vote Predictor (Opinion Poll aggregator)]

[First person accounts of the experience of voting in the US today.]