HOW HIGH IS DOWN?

CNN is reporting a 72% turnout. [Later: Some readers think that will turn out to be high, with the final number more like 60%. Still a lot, in the face of widespread death threats....]

--Instapundit, 1/30/05

And read this post on turnout by Roger Simon: "Before the spin doctors get a hold of the 'how big was the turnout' question in Iraq (60%? 70%?) and use that to denigrate this great step forward that has just taken place, let's remind ourselves that turnout in recent US Presidential elections is barely over 50% of eligible voters and that in the nascent days of our democracy, 1824, it was 26.9%."

--Instapundit, a later post on 1/30/05

The election commission said overall turnout was 8.55 million votes, which was about 58 percent of the 14.66 million registered voters. That was a little less than the 60 percent that election officials had predicted soon after the election took place.

--Washington Post today

Turnout was also somewhat higher than previously estimated.

--Instapundit today