NE Michigan voters showed up at polls in record numbers (but not in Oscoda Township)

The Bay City Times reports on voter turnout last week for the presidential election. This is what they have to say about turnout in Oscoda Township:

A few northern communities bucked the trend of voter participation above 60 percent. Among those were Iosco County's Oscoda Township, where about 57 percent of registered voters cast ballots despite several hotly contested races for township seats.

"It just shocks me, because we had long lines (at the polls)," said Diane Manderochio, Oscoda Township clerk.

When the final ballots were tallied, the local contests weren't enough to greatly increase the 52 percent voter turnout seen in the 2000 presidential race, she said. Voter participation in Oscoda was 6 percent lower than Iosco County as a whole, where 63.4 percent of registered voters cast ballots.