Low Voter Turnout So Far at Some Birmingham Polls
There’s plenty of campaigning, but turnout appears low so far at several Birmingham polling places today as voters elect a mayor, city council and school board.
At Legion Field, where voters from three different council districts cast their ballots, crowds gathered outside campaigning. A few candidates and their staffers pitched tailgating tents. One was frying chicken to serve for lunch for campaign workers.
One mayoral candidate — Frank James Matthews — drove up with a caravan of about 10 vehicles. They were all honking horns and waving campaign signs.
There was a steady flow in and out of the polling place. But by 10:45 a.m., fewer than 500 people had voted. In the November 2016 General Election, 2,700 people voted at that same site.
The flow of voters was also slow at Sun Valley Elementary School. Only 160 people had voted by 9 a.m. Outside the polling place were the two candidates for the District 1 City Council seat campaigned.
Incumbent Lashunda Scales approached voters saying, “I’m counting on your vote.” Her opponent Sherman Collins stood just a few feet away saying “Eight is Enough.” Scales was first elected to the council in August 2009.
In Roebuck at the Don Hawkins Recreation Center, the flow of voters was steady. By 1 p.m. about 400 voters had cast their ballots. In November, 1,800 voters cast ballots at that location.
Additional reporting by Esther Ciammachilli
Beer before liquor? Busting 6 popular myths about hangovers
People have a lot of opinions about how to cure a hangover. Are any of them true? Medical experts dispel common misconceptions about the effects of drinking too much alcohol.
Netanyahu urges his cabinet to approve a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging Israel's security Cabinet to approve a ceasefire with Hezbollah, paving the way for a possible pause in over a year of fighting with the Iran-backed group.
‘Demure’ is Dictionary.com’s word of the year. If that’s news to you, here’s the backstory
Usage of the word soared after TikToker Jools Lebron used it in her signature catchphrase "very demure, very mindful."
Severe weather threatens Thanksgiving travel for millions as officials warn of delays
Millions of drivers and air travelers may face severe weather and long lines over the next few days. More than 50,000 flights are expected to take off on Tuesday, one of the busiest travel days.
A new congressman nabs his great-grandfather’s old office after a little lobbying
After he's sworn in, Rep.-elect Tom Barrett of Michigan will work in the Capitol office his great-grandfather once used. Rep. Louis Rabaut died in 1961, two decades before Barrett was born.
Eyewitnesses in Gaza say Israel is using sniper drones to shoot Palestinians
NPR has collected multiple eyewitness accounts about small, gun-carrying drones shooting — and sometimes killing — civilians in Gaza. Israel's military has not confirmed whether it uses sniper drones.
