It Keeps Getting Better!
This is from the CentCom newsletter, which you can subscribe to here:
Election Comparison January 30th vs. October 15th
Registered voters - 14.3 million voters registered in Jan. vs. 15.6 million voters registered in Oct.
Numbers of polling centers 5,677 polling centers in Jan. vs. 5,852 polling centers in Oct. with most of the new centers going to Sunni regions.
* Al Anbar polling centers increased from 33 in Jan. to 171 in Oct. (indications are that more than 200,000 additional people voted in Anbar)
* Ninewah polling centers increased from 88 in Jan. to 230 in Oct. (nearly 400,000 more voted this time)
Poll worker applications increased from 110,000 in Jan. to 450,000 in Oct.
Total poll workers increased from 108,000 in Jan. to 171,000 in Oct.
- Early projections are that more than 60 percent voted (of registered)
Voting Rights Changes Since January
- Iraqi Security Forces guarding polling stations outside their provinces were allowed to vote
- U.S. held detainees that had not been convicted of a crime were allowed to vote
Election Security
- Total attacks in Iraq - 299 attacks on 30 Jan 05 vs. 89 Attacks on 15 Oct. 05
- Total polling place attacks - 108 attacks in 30 Jan 05 vs. 19 Attacks on 15 Oct. 05
- Total number of Civilians killed - 30 Deaths on 30 Jan 05 vs. 3 Deaths on 15 Oct. 05
* Overall 34 deaths on 30 Jan, 10 deaths 15 Oct.
- Total number of suicide bombers - 7 on 30 Jan vs. 0 On 15 Oct. 05
Security Forces
- Ministry of Interior Forces - 79,116 in January 05 vs. 106, 112 in October 05
- Ministry of Defense Forces - 56, 949 in January 05 vs. 93, 959 in October 05
Logistics
- MNF-I moved most of the materials in Jan; Iraqi contractors conducted most of the movement and logistics
- Voting supplies were moved into warehouses three days earlier than in January with no shortages of supplies reported (per IECI press conference)