Voter turnout low across county yesterday

By Staff
Rebecca Walker, Franklin County Times
The majority of Franklin County residents seemed less than interested in voting in yesterday's statewide election, which decided the addition of two amendments to the Alabama constitution.
"We've had about 10-percent of our usual election turnout show up," said Titus Stockton, a poll worker at Tharptown Junior High School. "As of right now [3:30 p.m.], we've had 37 voters to show up. We don't expect more than 50 today."
Stockton has been working election polls for approximately 20 years.
Stockton proposed that most people did not come out to vote because they are not interested in the election.
Another poll worker at Tharptown, Silas Oliver, said that the amendments being voted on do not apply to everyone, and so they don't see a direct effect on Franklin County.
In Russellville, at the poll in the courthouse annex, inspector Betty Clement experienced the same low poll turnout.
"We've only had 60 people come in to vote; we usually have 400 or so," Clement said. "Most people don't even know we're having an election, and those who do don't really want to vote because the election isn't about a person."
Clement did expect more voters to turn out after work on Tuesday either.
The two amendments on yesterday's ballot would have little to no effect on your average voter.
The first amendment would increase the amount of the General Obligations Bonds so the state can compete for industries.
Some of this money would be used to pay for the incentives given to German steel giant ThyssenKrupp to draw one of their steel mills to south Alabama.The other amendment would set up a trust fund for the sole purpose of paying health care costs of retired state and educational employees.
Turnout was near record low across the state yesterday.