US voters head to mid-term polls

07/11/2006| IslamWeb

Voting has begun in the US mid-term elections, with Democrats increasingly confident that they will to be able to end Republican dominance of the US Congress.

Voters began casting their ballots in the easternmost states on Tuesday at 6am [1100 GMT], with the last votes due to be cast in the US state of Alaska where polls close at 8pm [0500 GMT] on Wednesday.

Opinion polls suggest that increasing dissatisfaction with George Bush's policies means that the Democrats' optimism is likely to be rewarded when results are announced on Wednesday.

Much of the result will also hinge on how much issues such as health care costs, "values" issues like stem-cell research, gay marriage and abortion, the economy and illegal immigration, weigh on voters' minds.

A CNN opinion poll on Monday put the Democrats in the lead by 58 per cent to 38 per cent in the run-up to the mid-term vote.

A Fox News poll put the party in front by 13 points, contradicting polls on Sunday which showed Republicans closing the gap.

During the last full day of campaigning on Monday, both parties began get-out-the-vote operations designed to bring core supporters to the polls.

War cry

Bush, hampered by low approval ratings and confined to appearances in Republican areas to avoid alienating independents, was snubbed on Monday by the Republican candidate for governor in Florida, who did not appear with the president at a rally.

Nonetheless, the US president exhorted his party members to make their presence felt at the polls.

"I knew we were going to finish strong," Bush said during a final campaign rally in Pensacola, Florida on Monday evening.

"Republicans are going to turn out and it's going to be a great victory."

The Democrats have savaged Bush over Iraq, saying he and Republicans are in denial as US troops continue to die and chaos envelops the country.

"It has become clearer than ever that our current course in Iraq is unsustainable," said Wesley Clark, a former Democratic presidential candidate and US general, urging Democrats to "stand up and be counted".

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, urged his party members to cast their votes.

"We offer a fresh start and a new direction, but each and every Democrat must get to the polls to make our vision a reality," he said.

Democrats could recapture the US House of Representatives for the first time since 1994, with control of the upper house, the Senate, turning on several races that are too close to call.

All 435 House seats, 33 Senate seats and 36 governorships are at stake. Democrats need to pick up 15 House seats and six Senate seats to gain control of both houses.

Photo Caption

Bill Clinton, the former American president