It was exciting to see democracy in action -- to see the crowded polling locations and the steady stream of voters at each precinct we visited. One high point was when the President of a polling location pointed out a first time voter, and there arose a loud cheer and applause
This was quite a contrast to the very low turnout we witnessed during the constitutional referendum. After the referendum failed, because it lacked the requisite voter turnout to validate it, I was unsure of what to expect during these parliamentary elections.
We found that at our first precinct (at around 10:30 am) turnout was already at about 30%, and we found turnout rose at each successive polling location, even topping 50% by lunchtime!
However, when calculating turnout we could not simply take the number of voters who voted and divide by the number of registered voters at that precinct. We needed to also factor in the number of voters who had cast a ballot who were not on the lists. These included students (who were not required to go back to their villages to vote, but who could vote here in Chisinau if they showed the proper documentation) and at one precinct, voters from Transneistria who were authorized to vote at that poll.
It was clear from our observations early in the day that there would be high voter turnout. At each location, we heard from poll workers and from other observers
"We never have seen this many people"
"This is the first time we have seen so many people"
"For 10 years I have been the director here and I have never seen so many voters. Our workers usually can take a break to have some tea. Not today!"
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