King (moderator): Thank you for joining us today for our first VOANews.com Chat on the US elections. As you know, the Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years. Final results are still pending in the Senate, where some very close races are still being counted. I'm senior web editor Mollie King, and I'll be your moderator. Joining us is VOA National Affairs Correspondent Jim Malone, and VOA Congressional Correspondent Dan Robinson. Now we look forward to your questions about the elections and the American political process.
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Francis, question submitted via e-mail: Thank goodness for common sense. At least some form of sanity and possibly a more humble less arrogant Administration might emerge knowing that most people have lost faith in this great country of yours. One thing from our perspective that never makes sense in a true democracy. How is it that votes are counted and declared before the last polling station on the West coast is closed. Surely results influence voting patterns. Is there a particular reason and has any research been done on the possible effects on the outcome of the elections in those West coast states?
Malone: Francis, Good question. Vote counts start to be released once the polls close. Since the East Coast is three hours ahead of the West Coast, there is no way to avoid the fact that results in the East will become known well before many races in the West are decided. There is, I think, little appetite for withholding results until all parts of the country are counted. It is kind of like a people's right to know kind of issue. One thing, though. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter conceded his defeat to Ronald Reagan well before the polls in California closed. This really upset then Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill who complained Carter's early concession led to some West Coast Democrats to stay home late on election day.
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Kuuipo, submitted via e-mail: I was just wondering what the national % of voter turnout was for this election.
Robinson: Hi and thanks for that question -- early results indicate that voter turnout may have been up a bit -- however, we do not have any final figures at this time. There were predictions that, due to the level of interest in this election, and the issues involved, such as congressional corruption and Iraq, that voter turnout was going to be significantly higher.
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Stewart: Based on the results of many of the house seats that turned over to democrats, will this mean these new members will focus more on foriegn policy and national defense issues and less on local issues.
Malone: Stewart, it is a little early to tell, but that is a great question. Here are a few things we know. Democrats won in large part because of discontent over Iraq. But they do not have a unified plan on what to do in Iraq. It will be an early focus, but the divisions within the Democratic Party may remain because many of the new House Democrats may lean toward more moderate or conservative views on some issues. Also, Democrats signaled early on they will focus on domestic issues like raising the minimum wage and health care. But Democrats also realize they must improve their standing with the general public on their ability to handle foreign policy and defense issues.
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King (moderator): I have a question about the two Independents - how do they affect the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans?
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Malone: In the Senate, Joseph Lieberman goes from Democrat to being an independent. But he has said he will caucus or organize himself with the Democrats so he can keep his seniority on the various committees he is on. Bernard Sanders, the new independent senator from Vermont, has long served in the House as a self-described Socialist who essentially has voted with Democrats over the years. So, we see Sanders as a reliable Democratic vote in the Senate. The question is what will Joe Lieberman do, especially on foreign policy issues like Iraq where he has been more supportive of President Bush than virtually any other Democrat. Will Lieberman be a reliable Democrat remains to be seen and that could be crucial in a sharply divided Senate.
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King (moderator): Again, thank you for joining us today for our first VOANews.com Chat on the US elections. As you know, the Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years. Final results are still pending in the Senate, where some very close races are still being counted. I'm senior web editor Mollie King, and I'm your moderator. Joining us is VOA National Affairs Correspondent Jim Malone, and VOA Congressional Correspondent Dan Robinson. Please send us your questions about the elections and the American political process.
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Jamie: Will the new leadership be looked at by the public more critically because the they have higher expectations of what they think the Deomocrats should accomplish. and will the Republicans look to block their efforts or try to be more cooperative or bipartisan.
Robinson: Jamie -- thanks for that interesting question. So far, we can only base our thinking on what the Democrats, and in particular, the Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, have said. She has stated that Democrats want to 'restore civility' in the House. Whether that means that they will provide more flexibility to the minority, that is the Republicans now, remains to be seen. There are some Democrats, who will surely be tempted to respond to Republicans in the same way Democrats felt they were treated when they were in the minority in the House. The Democrats also will be under pressure to abide by their pledges for more 'civility' in the way they run the house -- and the spotlight will be on them now, especially in advance of the 2008 election, which will be a presidential election as well. Again, thanks for your question....
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King (moderator): Thank you for joining us today for our first VOANews.com Chat on the US elections. Thanks to VOA National Affairs Correspondent Jim Malone, and VOA Congressional Correspondent Dan Robinson for answering our questions. The complete transcript of this Chat will be available online at http://www.voanews.com/english/chat_election2006.cfm.

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