Turnout low after lengthy Alabama Senate campaign

As Prattville voters walked in and out of the Doster Center on Tuesday morning, Napoleon Steele declined to say who he voted for. But he did give his reasons for casting that ballot.

"I just believe we need a change in our government and we need people that's going to try to help things turn around in the United States," said Steele, as voters cast ballots in primaries for Alabama’s junior U.S. Senate seat. "Right now, the United States is in bad shape. We've got a race against each other and that is terrible. I've never seen it this bad. But one day the Lord will change all of this. 

"It will change every bit of it. It sure will."

In Montgomery, Jerry and Carol Wright wanted change, too, and said it was why they voted for former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore.

“We’re just kind of tired of the political machine,” Carol Wright, a retired restaurant manager, said. “There’s way too much good ‘ol boy stuff going on in Washington. We need to drain the swamp.”

It wasn’t clear early Tuesday afternoon how those views would translate into results. But it was clear there would be very few voters to share them. The Alabama Secretary of State’s office Tuesday revised an already low turnout estimate of 20 to 25 percent down to 10 to 15 percent, after a slow morning at state polling places. 

“Apparently, this is a case where people are not enthusiastic about the candidates,” Secretary of State John Merrill said in an interview.

It was something of an anticlimax to a months-long campaign that, on the Republican side, took on aspects of an air war. Sen. Luther Strange, facing challenges from Moore and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Madison, tried to turn the Republican primary into a referendum on President Donald Trump and – with the help of a political action committee aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – blasted Brooks for criticisms he made of Trump during last year’s presidential campaign. 

Strange – trailing Moore in most public polls – picked up an endorsement from Trump, who recorded a phone message for the senator earlier this week. The nod from the president did help make up some voters’ minds, like Walt and Kendall Haywood.

"I'm not really a big fan for any of the candidates that were running today, but since President Trump officially endorsed Luther Strange and Luther Strange has publicly said he would back Trump's agenda, that's the reason I voted for Luther Strange," Walt Haywood said after walking out of the Doster Center.

When asked for specifics on Trump's agenda, Haywood discussed "building a wall at the southern border for illegal immigration. That's one of my big things. Both of them have said they would do it."

James Pollock, a retiree who lives in Montgomery, said Trump’s endorsement and that of the National Rifle Association helped him vote for Strange. 

“Trump likes Strange for some reason,” he said. “I voted for Trump. I didn’t want to upset the apple cart.”

Other voters said the endorsement made little or no difference in their vote. James McGilberry, an assistant retail manager from Auburn, said he felt Strange was the most level-headed, and that some of his opponents were “wackadoodles.” 

“I tried to look at this as merely an election affecting the people of Alabama and what we as voters want for our state, not necessarily what the president is tweeting and endorsing himself,” he said.

Moore’s supporters said they thought he was the most honest candidate in the race or the one who aligned with their religious beliefs.

"I think there's some good candidates out there," said Roger Carter of Prattville. "I think there's some qualified candidates out there, but I just feel he's more in line with what I believe in. Christian values are very important to me, but he's also conservative in some of the ways that our president is, and that means a lot to me."

Candidate Mo Brooks received Laurie Smith's vote, as she said he most closely aligns himself with what she believes – especially the Second Amendment and gun rights.

"(Brooks) had the perfect opportunity to come out and completely ban them," she said. "He still stood up for the individual's right to bear arms. That was very important to me."

Vince Palmer, a contractor from Auburn, said his support for Brooks stemmed from Brooks’ support of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign for president last year. Asked who he would vote for in a runoff between Moore and Strange, Palmer said he would probably vote for Strange.

“I’m a religious person, but I think Roy Moore forces stuff on people,” he said. “I don’t care for that.”

Democrats who came out to vote were critical of Donald Trump and the recent corruption scandals that engulfed Alabama. Health care was also on many people minds. Zelda Kitt, an educator from Auburn, voted for former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, saying she liked his views on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. 

“I liked his platform,” she said. “When I listened to the other candidates, he appealed more to me in his ability to represent us.”

Kelly Kennington, a history professor at Auburn University, voted for environmentalist Michael Hansen, who has been running on a progressive platform. Kennington said he was the “best chance for change” in the state of Alabama. 

Kennington tried to be realistic about the Democrats’ chances in the Dec. 12 general election.

“I do hope Democrats have a chance to make a splash,” she said. “I’m not naïve. I don’t’ necessarily think they’ll win. But I hope so.”