So far so ... slow.
That's the report from the Shelby County Election Commission after the first two hours of voting in today's City of Memphis special mayoral election.
Commission chairman Bill Giannini did say the electronic poll books have by and large operated effectively, except for a few hiccups like a malfunctioning printer in one case. Essentially, the electronic poll book replaces the old paper polling books and works as a voter's application for a ballot -- a worker looks up a voter's information on the computer, prints out a receipt with relevant information on address, etc., and the voter signs it before heading to a voting machine. If something goes wrong, the Commission can go to the paper books as backup.
"Turnout is every bit as slow as early voting," said Giannini.
Commission statistics show that 48,655 people voted in the 14 days of early voting, and recent elections show that early voting makes up about half of the total vote, so 90,000 to 100,000 votes are expected overall. That would be less than 25 percent turnout.
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