Voter Turnout Slow, but Better Than Expected in Newton

Newton City Clerk David Olson wasn't anticipating an overwhelming turnout for today's special U.S. Senate and Ward 1 alderman-at-large elections.

But, Olson said just after noon on Tuesday, it appears they may have underestimated the turnout slightly.

"Things are going smoothly," Olson said. "It's maybe a little better better than expected."

Olson said exact numbers were unavailable, but he did know that more voters had turned out for the special senate election than for the Ward 1 election. He said fewer voters had picked up the Ward 1 ballot than the senate ballot, which continued a trend that began with absentee voting.

The biggest possible issue for the day, Olson said, was the heat.

"We're a little concerned about the heat because many of the polling locations are in schools that aren't air conditioned," he explained. "But so far, we haven't had any problems."

In all, holding today's special elections will require nearly 200 poll workers -- ideally, six for each of Newton's 32 precincts. Olson said there were a few workers who called in sick this morning, leaving a handful of spots to fill.

Polls remain open today until 8 p.m. For more on the elections, the candidates and polling locations, see