Storm-ravaged Escambia County reported the highest voter turnout in the state Tuesday, despite concerns that the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan might keep voters from the polls.
State records show that 84.9 percent of the county's 189,833 voters cast ballots, well above the average state turnout of 72 percent.
"I'm real pleased with that," said Bonnie Jones, Escambia County Supervisor of Elections. "I knew it was going to be high."
Jones said much of the turnout was from people who voted early or cast absentee ballots. She attributed the high number of voters to many factors.
"I think people were just very passionate about the presidential race," Jones said. "Also, there were some hot-button issues on the ballot, and we had some local races that stirred local attention. It was a combination of everything."
When Hurricane Ivan tore through the county Sept. 16, it demolished 10 polling places, that had to be replaced. It also destroyed the building that held the absentee and qualifying departments, as well as the area used to tabulate votes on election nights.
In the end, Jones said, the storm probably complicated planning for the elections far more than it hindered voters.
Still, the high turnout was an anomaly. Escambia had 70.8 percent turnout in 2000, barely above the state average and nowhere near the highest in the state.
And on Tuesday, while some other hurricane-affected counties also posted strong turnouts, none experienced a leap like the one in Escambia. Charlotte County, devastated by Hurricane Charley in August, had a slightly lower turnout than in 2000.
One theory for the flood of voters in Escambia: It's home to a solid crop of Bush supporters, many of whom were set on delivering Florida to the president.
"I think a lot of it was just simply determination," said Kay Addison, president of the Escambia Federated Republican Women's Club. Addison said Bush volunteers had "been making calls for the past four or five weeks," arranging rides for the elderly to polls, encouraging early voting and making sure people mailed absentee ballots. That effort, with the voting push from John Kerry's side, likely helped drive the turnout.
Whatever the reason, Bonnie Jones could breathe a sigh of relief Wednesday. After six weeks of trying to ensure that her office could pull off an election in the wake of a devastating hurricane, she had ended up with the highest turnout rate in Florida.
"When you have a big election, it brings lot of hard work and long hours and phone calls," she said. "Now that it's kind of quieted down, we can get to our normal lives. We can at least see our families again."
