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Morning News

Election 2000: Voter Turnout Heavy in Key Illinois County

Aired November 7, 2000 - 9:48 a.m. ET

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

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The biggest decision today is the vote for president.

A look now in Chicago in Illinois; CNN's Jeff Flock just outside the city there in Lake Forest, Illinois with us this morning.

Hey, Jeff, good morning inside of that polling station there.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill. Turnout really being stoked here, not only by the presidential race, but by a hot congressional race; the 10th District here in Illinois which is an up-for-grabs seat.

I want to take you inside this polling place. As you can see, open 6:00 a.m. and we had people in line this morning all across Lake County. And this is one of the swing counties, as we come inside and look at four separate precincts at the ready here; and I want get the very latest on turnout for you in just a moment. But Lake County is an important kind of swing county; primarily Republican, but in '96, for example, 93,000 votes for the Clinton ticket, 93,000 for the Dole ticket. So it has the ability to kind of swing both ways.

I want to interrupt you, right in the middle, here. What's turnout like, if I can interrupt you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very good. We're having a good turnout today.

FLOCK: More so than you would typically expect?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I would think so. We are having a greater turnout probably because of the presidential election.

FLOCK: And the congressional race, too, having an effect?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so; I think so. It's a strong turnout.

FLOCK: Good deal; thanks, I'm going to let you get back to what you're doing. I just wanted to get the very latest on the turnout here. Another thing that helps that today is the weather. It is a windy day, kind of a blustery day, but not too cold in Chicago; and the rain quit. It rained heavily overnight and now that is pretty much over. I want to get to the on Mayor of Lake Forest, Howard Kerr. Thanks for letting us come in this morning, Mr. Mayor. Give a sense for how it's going -- what's the intensity level like -- you've been traveling to the polling places this morning.

HOWARD KERR, MAYOR, LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS: Well, I think we have a high intensity this morning -- a lot of voters out early. We have had the highest absentee voting in the history of Lake Forest. I think there's tremendous interest in this election.

FLOCK: Why?

KERR: Well, I think on the presidential side, there's a lot of people in Lake Forest, anyway, who believe this election is about Bill Clinton.

FLOCK: Really!

KERR: I think that has brought a lot of people out.

FLOCK: I want to bring out to our viewers Lake Forest is one of the richest communities in all of the U.S.; fifth richest community per capita in the U.S. Is it that big tax cut for the wealthy?

KERR: No, I think it has to do, as I said -- I think it has to do with Bill Clinton. I think that a lot of people see a vote for Al Gore, an election of Al Gore, as an affirmation of the Clinton years, and they don't want to see that affirmation go to the president.

FLOCK: And the last question for you, and that is the 10th District race. We've got a spirited battle over John Porter's seat. He is retiring; how do you see that one going?

KERR: Very close. We've got two exceptionally talented candidates -- both parties. This is a highly independent district and the party labels will be less important than how the people perceive the individuals.

FLOCK: So that's a possible Democratic pickup?

KERR: Well, I don't want to predict that. I think that Mark Kirk will carry Lake Forest very comfortably; but this is a very independent district and we are losing an outstanding congressman in John Porter and I think the people will be voting based on the individual talents of the candidates and not on the party.

FLOCK: Mayor, appreciate it; Howard Kerr, mayor of Lake Forest. We will continue to watch it here today. Intense turnout; we'll keep an eye.

KERR: I'm Jeff Flock, CNN, reporting live from Lake Forest, Illinois.

HEMMER: All right Jeff, thank you very much.

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