AP is investigating lower than expected vote totals for Butte Silver-Bow county...

[originalpckelly]

It is a Democratic stronghold, and they are supposedly 4,000 shy of their Presidential turnout, which most of the other counties in Montana have seen.

The AP is now investigating this, so says the Great Fall Tribune:
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/NEWS01/61108020&GID=v7H4SQOXlR7Yy7id5jaccHAvtUuZi3BX6xULk0XpC5s%3D

Now I have found the election result data from that county here it is:
" TOTAL VOTES % Absentee Elections

PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 44) . . . . . 44 100.00
REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL . . . . . 0
BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL. . . . . . . 20,169 9,569 10,600
BALLOTS CAST - PAGE 1 . . . . . . 10,048 4,803 5,245
BALLOTS CAST - PAGE 2 . . . . . . 10,121 4,766 5,355

US SENATOR
VOTE FOR 1
CONRAD BURNS -R . . . . . . . . 2,996 30.11 1,228 1,768
STAN JONES -L . . . . . . . . . 236 2.37 120 116
JON TESTER -D . . . . . . . . . 6,703 67.37 3,395 3,308
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 15 .15 7 8"
http://co.silverbow.mt.us/EL45.HTM

This ought to be interesting, it may help us or it may hurt us. I'm now checking to see how Bush did here in 2004.

[originalpckelly]

1. In 2004 Bush lost this county:

Presidential Candidate Vice Presidential
Candidate Political
Party Popular Vote
R John Kerry John Edwards Democratic 9,307 57.86%
B George W. Bush Richard Cheney Republican 6,381 39.67%
G Ralph Nader Karen Sanchirico Independent 288 1.79%
Y Michael Badnarik Richard Campagna Libertarian 51 0.32%
Y Other (+) - - 57 0.35%

[sandnsea]

2. They always go Dem

Like forever. Have to watch this one. Anything can happen in Butte.

:popcorn:

[originalpckelly]

3. It looks like Tester is up 10% there than Kerry in 2004...

but that isn't too weird as he was doing incredibly well across the state. In this area which is already blue you might expect the same or better improvements. If he could get 20% in a conservative Bush area, he can get 10% in a liberal Kerry area!!

4,000 votes may be on the line here if they messed up in Butte Silver-Bow county.