Quick Guide & Transcript: Special Edition - Midterm election races and issues

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(CNN Student News) -- November 8, 2006

Quick Guide

Balance of Power - Find out who will steer the course of Congress in the years ahead.

Important Issues - Discover which issues factored in most when voters made their decisions.

Problems at the Polls - Take a look at some of the glitches encountered in various polling places.

Transcript

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Yesterday, the voters spoke. And today, we bring you the results from Election 2006. Welcome to this Special Edition of CNN Student News! I'm Carl Azuz.

Our democratic experiment continues. At stake this year, power in the U.S. House and Senate, legislative seats in your state capital, 36 governors' seats, and more than 200 ballot measures.

Across the country, voter turnout is heavy. But new rules and machine glitches cause problems at the polls.Why some got turned away before they could cast their votes. And, in South Carolina, his name's on the ballot, but this man couldn't vote -- at least for a while. Why the governor got denied at the ballot box.

Balance of Power

AZUZ: The 2006 mid-term elections bring a major political re-alignment. Americans picked the 110th Congress. And yesterday was a day for Democrats. For the first time since 1994, Democrats hold a majority -- and the power -- in the House of Representatives. California's Nancy Pelosi will likely be the new Speaker of the House. She would be the first woman to ever hold the post. Kyung Lah reports on the new faces and the big winners in the coming Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYUNG LAH, CNN REPORTER: Dennis Hastert thanked his supporters for re-electing him, but CNN projects he won't return to his job as speaker. That job is going to Nancy Pelosi.. as CNN projects Democrats will snatch control of the House.

NANCY PELOSI, (D) CALIFORNIA: tonight is a great victory for the American people. Today the American people voted for change and they voted Democrats to take them in a new direction.

LAH: On the other side of the political aisle, Republicans say they expected a tough night.

KEN MEHLMAN, RNC CHAIRMAN: We always recognized this was gong to be a challenging year, ....butt--- whenever the nations at war the presidents party typically loses seats.

LAH: Like all elections... It comes down to turnout. This winding line in Denver looked like a huge turnout... But it was problems at the poll. Some left without voting-- prompting Democrats to ask for a two hour extension. Which the the Denver district court has denied. Voters say what's driving them to the polls: national issues.

VOTER: There is that general philosophy that 'all politics is local' but I don't think so this time around.

LAH: If CNN projections are correct, history will be made. Nancy Pelosi will become the first female Speaker of the House. On Capitol Hill, Kyung Lah, CNN Student News.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Web Promo

AZUZ: For the latest information on the balance of power in the U.S. Congress, head to CNN.com. There, we'll be updating the latest numbers on all the races overnight. You can find it at CNN.com/Election.

Minimum Wage

AZUZ: Some of you might be getting a raise. Voters passed amendments to raise the required minimum wage. In Missouri, employers will now pony up at least $6.50 an hour to hire someone. In Ohio, the new minimum wage is $6.85 an hour. In Montana, workers will start at $6.15 cents and hour. And Arizona voters raised the minimum wage to $6.75.

Important Issues

AZUZ: That was an example of one issue that mattered to voters-- And to some of our viewers. We got e-mail saying that and a lack of available jobs for teenagers, were top concerns. Now the biggest issues in these elections were a little less specific...And because you may not be able to guess all four of them, we'll let Bill Schneider tell you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL SCHNEIDER: Is this a one issue race? It is not. When we asked people what was the issue that was extremely important to you when casting your vote...42 percent said the answer as corruption in Washington, followed very closely by the issue of terrorism, an issue the Republicans run on and won on in the last two elections. The economy just behind that at 39 percent, 37 percent citing the issue of Iraq. So it looks like a lot of issues were on the minds of voters around the country.

SCHNEIDER: And when it comes to Iraq, we asked people if they approve or disapprove of the war in Iraq, and the answer was pretty one-sided. 57 percent of the voters said they disapprove of the war in Iraq. 41 percent say they approve.

SCHNEIDER: You know they used to say 'all politics is local.' Not this time. When we asked people "What issues determined your vote?" National issues or local issues? It wasn't even close. By almost 2 to 1...62 percent said it was national issues that made the biggest difference. Local issues just 33 percent. So this was an election where, in a rare occasion, all politics was pretty much, national.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Spoken Word: Voices of the Voters

VOTER #1: I voted straight Republican all across the board.

REPORTER: Tell me why.

VOTER #1: Because I think the Republicans will handle things much better than the Democrats. I think the Republicans are stronger on security matters which I think is the most important issue in the world today.

VOTER #2: I am hoping this election is maybe a turning point, I would like to see the Democrats take the House and Senate this year, so I am out here voting to do my part.

VOTER #3: Personally I think it's important, um ,my generation -- I'm in my 20's -- are the people who are going to be representing and we need to have our voices heard and I just think there needs to be a change in the Congress and in the Senate because they're not doing a good job at all.

VOTER #4: Why wouldn't I come vote? Why did I come to vote? Because it is my right as an American, and others have died for it.. So why wouldnt I come vote?

VOTER #5: I definitely think that my voice is not being heard, and the current representatives that we have so I really felt that I wanted to contribute my vote to make the Congress more representative of my, myself.

Problems at the Polls

AZUZ: Casting a vote wasn't exactly a "sure thing" everywhere. In Denver, some polling stations weren''t ready when they opened. In Indiana and Illinois, machine glitches actually prompted officials to extend polling hours. These are some of the problems that were reported to a rights group called "Common Cause." Kitty Pilgrim now fills us in on more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN: Common Cause said they had widespread reports of mechanical glitches, 15% of their calls on hot lines were mechanical problems with electronic voting. Voter Action said they are drowning in reports of lots of little problems. and Verified Voting said managing the system was complex for volunteers.

PILGRIM: In Denver, lines were hours long. The electronic poll books, with voter registrations were not ready. In Indiana .. paper ballots had to be used in more than 100 precincts because the touch screens on electronic voting machines were not working.

DORIS ANN SADLER, MARION COUNTY CLERK: 222 locations that we had to send technicians to to get the machines up and running.

PILGRIM: In New Jersey the Sequoia machines had printer or mechanical problems. Polling locations issued paper ballots and had voting machines replaced. Broward County Florida a 90 minute delay because of activiation mess ups.

FLORIDA VOTER: A number of people were sent away. I hope that they had the perseverance to come back and try to vote again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Shoutout

GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN: Time for the Shoutout! Which of these political candidates did not play in the National Football League? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) Lynn Swann B) Tom Osborne C) Arnold Schwarzenegger D) Heath Shuler

He's been a bodybuilder, actor and governor, but Arnold Schwarzenegger is the only one of these candidates who didn't play in the NFL. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

No ID, No Vote

AZUZ: If you want to vote, don't forget to bring your ID. Just ask South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Before casting his ballot, Sanford was denied -- turned away -- at his home precinct. Turns out the governor forgot his voter registration card! Sanford left the polling station to get a duplicate copy. He voted 90 minutes later. But not before praising the poll worker for her conscientiousness.

REPORTER: So what happened governor when you were going to vote today?

GOV. SANFORD: Well, we're going to vote here shortly, it's just going to take a little longer than first anticipated. My registration card is in Columbia. We had the number and could read it over the phone, but as a credit to the poll worker, she says, that ain't enough you gotta have the card. So, we're going to get those logistics worked through and I'll vote here shortly.

REPORTER: You have to feel that if every poll manager is like this, you've got to feel pretty good about...it's going to be fair, right?

SANFORD: That's what you want in any process.

REPORTER: Are you surprised, shocked by this? Just didn't think this would happen?

SANFORD: No, I've learned in this process to be shocked by nothing. And again, I admire her. She's being conscientious. She is abiding by the absolutle letter of the law which is what's expected in something as important in electoral matters. And she's doing her job, which is the way it should be.

REPORTER: I heard Jenny yell out, 'I asked you this morning, do you have your card?'"

SANFORD: Ha ha...Well, we won't go into inter-family conversations on this one, but it is safe, and in Columbia, how about that?

REPORTER: I think I've heard the same conversation with my parents "I told you to take it..." So I guess it's like that in every family.

SANFORD: Absolutely.

Goodbye

AZUZ: Governor Sanford was projected to win re-election last night. So, his vote certainly counted. Thanks for joining us for this Special Edition of CNN Student News. We'll be back here tomorrow. Hope you can join us.

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