San Juan County leans toward right

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Kevin Killough
Staff writer

GALLUP — Obama may have taken the presidency, but the folks in San Juan County were leaning strongly toward McCain. The Republican candidate took nearly 60 percent of the vote there. McCain also took Navajo County in Arizona, but heavily liberal Coconino gave 60 percent of its votes to Obama.

It was a busy day for poll workers in those counties, but despite the normal chaos of the four-year election, things ran smoothly. San Juan County Clerk Fran Hanhardt said that she encountered the typical Election Day problems, but nothing that could not be easily remedied. They had an election machine that wouldn’t boot correctly, and some poll workers that didn’t show up, which happens every year.

“You always have problems, and you have to try to make allowances,” she said.

Election Director for Navajo County Lisa McKee said that the turnout was very high. She even had so many early voter ballots that she was concerned that the turnout on Election Day might overwhelm the ballots.

”It was to the point I thought I’d have to order more ballots,” she said.

Despite the turnout, things ran unusually smooth, she said. Like San Juan County, the most common problem she encounters is poll workers who don’t show. This year, she said, there were a surprising few that were absent. Out of about 500 workers, only about five didn’t show.
“It’s nice to see how dedicated people are,” McKee said.
The Senate race in San Juan County went slightly Republican with Steve Pearce beating Tom Udall by a thin margin. Republican Daniel K. East also beat out Democratic opponent Ben Lujan by about 5 percent of the vote.