US: Voters Form Long Lines in Harris County for Texas Primary Elections

Voters formed long lines outside polling stations across Harris County, Texas, on Tuesday, March 3, for the Republican and Democratic primaries to cast their ballots. Despite the official 7 p.m. closing time, many residents remained in line as of 8 p.m. to cast their ballots for the upcoming November midterm elections.

Solomon Islands witnesses smooth voting process in election

STORY: Solomon Islands witnesses smooth voting process in election SHOOTING TIME: April 17, 2024 DATELINE: April 17, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:04 LOCATION: Honiara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of a polling station 2. various of Solomon Islands STORYLINE: Chief Electoral Officer of Solomon Islands Jasper Anisi has hailed Wednesday's joint election, encompassing both national and provincial elections, as a remarkably peaceful event for the nation. As the polling stations closed, with each ballot box sealed, it marked the conclusion of a day where Solomon Islands citizens turned out in significant numbers to exercise their voting rights. The enthusiasm among voters was evident as many queued up early in the morning to cast their ballots. In preparation for the election, over 1 million ballot papers were printed to ensure that the 420,253 registered voters had the opportunity to make their voices heard. A total of 334 candidates are vying for 50 seats in the parliamentary election. Party-aff

Istanbul voters prioritize earthquake preparedness ahead of local elections

STORY: Istanbul voters prioritize earthquake preparedness ahead of local elections SHOOTING TIME: March 26, 2024 DATELINE: March 31, 2024 LENGTH: 0:01:33 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Istanbul city in Türkiye 2. various of the election tents 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): BINGUL ALBAY, Istanbul resident 4. various of the election tents 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): NECIP VARAN, Istanbul resident 6. various of the election tents 7. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): GUNGOR UGRAC, Istanbul resident 8. various of the election tents 9. SOUNDBITE 4 (Turkish): AYSEL KAYNAR, Istanbul resident 10. various of the election tents STORYLINE: As Istanbul gears up for Sunday's local elections, the focus of many voters remains fixed on the city's readiness to withstand earthquakes, spurred by memories of last year's catastrophic tremor in southern Türkiye. In February last year, a devastating earthquake hit southern Türkiye, killing 55,000 people and displacing millions more. The catastrophe heigh

Polling for general elections extended in DR Congo, after logistics problems, complaints

STORY: Polling for general elections extended in DR Congo, after logistics problems, complaints SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 20, 2023 DATELINE: Dec. 21, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:47 LOCATION: Kinshasa CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of streets of Kinshasa 2. various of the voting sites and voters STORYLINE: Polling for the general elections will continue on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) announced Wednesday evening. Some 44 million voters in the DRC were registered to cast their ballots on Wednesday to elect a new president, members of the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies, as well as municipal councilors, but many polling stations were not able to open on time due to logistic difficulties. There were also reports of sporadic violence. Some polling stations started late in the day with long lines waiting. Five presidential candidates have demanded the organization of a new election with a new office of CENI. In addition to

Voting for Egypt's presidential election kicks off

STORY: Voting for Egypt's presidential election kicks off SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 10, 2023 DATELINE: Dec. 10, 2023 LENGTH: 00:04:47 LOCATION: Cairo CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): YAO BING, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of polling stations in Cairo 3. various of candidates' campaigns STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): YAO BING, Xinhua correspondent "Millions of Egyptians are set to cast their votes as the country's 2024 presidential election kicked off on Sunday with four candidates contesting, the most popular of whom is incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. Running from Dec. 10 to 12, the voting begins at 09:00 a.m. Cairo local time and lasts for 12 hours on each of the three days. I'm now at one of the polling stations in Cairo. As we can see, there are many residents coming here to vote." Overseas Egyptian voters had previously cast their ballots from Dec. 1 to Dec. 3. About 67 million Egyptians are eligible to vote at more than 9,000 polling stations nationwide. Sisi, who is r

Bulgarians vote for local authorities

STORY: Bulgarians vote for local authorities DATELINE: Oct. 30, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:59 LOCATION: Sofia CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of polling stations 2. various of voters STORYLINE: Bulgarians went to polls on Sunday to elect mayors and municipal councilors. As many as 12,299 polling stations opened across the country at 7:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) for over six million eligible voters to cast their ballots. The elections are held every four years. In this year's elections, almost 39,000 candidates are competing for the posts of mayors of the 265 municipalities and 3,041 mayoralties in Bulgaria, and the 35 quarters in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna, as well as 5,053 seats in the municipal councils. A candidate for mayor must gain more than half of the valid votes to win the position in the first round. If no one gains more than 50 percent of votes in the first round, the top two runners will compete in a run-off on Nov. 5. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Sofia. (XHTV

Voting underway in presidential runoff in Türkiye

STORY: Voting underway in presidential runoff in Türkiye DATELINE: May 28, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:58 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the voting in Ankara 2. SOUNDBITE (English): ZEYNEP CERMEN, Xinhua reporter STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): ZEYNEP CERMEN, Xinhua reporter "Turkish voters started to cast their ballots on Sunday as of 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) local time for the second round of the presidential election. In Istanbul, the country's largest city with around 11 million eligible voters, many people already showed up at the polling stations before the start. Over 31,000 ballot boxes have been set up across all 39 districts. The second round is expected to be a knife-edge contest between the incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the joint opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Turkish people will either decide to continue with Erdogan for another five-year term or vote for change and elect Kilicdaroglu. A six-party opposition bloc and several other minor parties back Kilic

In Türkiye's upcoming elections, young voters' say may be key

STORY: In Türkiye's upcoming elections, young voters' say may be key DATELINE: May 4, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:35 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of people on the streets in Türkiye 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): AHMET ALI, First-time voter 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): EKIN ULGEN, University student, First-time voter 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): ECE HASEMOGLU, University student, First-time voter STORYLINE: On May 14, voters across Türkiye will elect the president and 600 members of parliament for a five-year term. As many as 4.9 million Turkish citizens above the age of 18 will vote for the first time, according to the Supreme Electoral Council, the country's top electoral authority. Moreover, half of Türkiye's 64 million eligible voters are made up of millennials and those from the younger Generation Z, as many of whom were born between 1997-2012 have entered adulthood. The vote of the young is therefore expected to be crucial, as new polls predicted a close contest between incumbent President

Voters cast ballots to choose lower house members

Voters cast ballots to choose lower house members

GIFU, Japan - Many voters visit a polling station in Gifu, central Japan, to elect new members of the House of Representatives on Sept. 11.

GLOBALink | Money talks -- Voters frustrated by influence of money in U.S. elections

American voters grew concerned over the outsized influence of super-wealthy political donors in U.S. elections, and many argued that money distorts elections to favor special interests, threatening America's democracy. Produced by Xinhua Global Service

U.S. midterm elections held amid concerns over inflation, crime and immigration

STORY: U.S. midterm elections held amid concerns over inflation, crime and immigration DATELINE: Nov. 9, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:47 LOCATION: NEW YORK, U.S. CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): PAN LIJUN, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of a polling site 3. various of street view in U.S. 4. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JAMES GANSKY, Voter 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MICHAEL CROCE, Voter 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): BOBBY, Voter STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): PAN LIJUN, Xinhua correspondent "This is a polling site in New York City, where voters cast their ballots on Tuesday in key midterms. The 2022 U.S. midterm elections will determine the next makeup of Congress. All 435 U.S. House seats and 35 of the 100 Senator seats are being contested across the country. There are a number of other races to watch, too, as many major states also have elections for their governors and local officials. The economy, inflation, crime, and immigration are among the top issues driving voter decisions during this election season

Kenyans vote for new president, local leaders

STORY: Kenyans vote for new president, local leaders DATELINE: Aug. 10, 2022 LENGTH: 00:04:08 LOCATION: Nairobi CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP 1 (English): RUTH WANGARA, Xinhua reporter 2. STANDUP 2 (English): JAMES ASANDE, Xinhua reporter 3. various of presidential candidates casting votes 4. various of Kenyans at the polling centers 5. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JOHN NJERU, Voter 6. STANDUP 3 (English): RUTH WANGARA, Xinhua reporter 7. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): LUCKY VIATA, Voter 8. STANDUP 4 (English): RUTH WANGARA, Xinhua reporter 9. STANDUP 5 (English): RUTH WANGARA, Xinhua reporter 10. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): DENNIS MURIMI, Official, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission 11. various of Kenyans at the polling centers and candidates casting vote STORYLINE: STANDUP 1 (English): RUTH WANGARA, Xinhua reporter "It is Aug. 9, a day many Kenyans have been waiting for, as they get to elect their fifth president. According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the registered voters

Voting underway in Philippine elections

STORY: Voting underway in Philippine elections DATELINE: May 9, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:43 LOCATION: Manila CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: various of polling stationsvarious of votersSTANDUP (English): YANG YUNQI, Xinhua correspondentvarious of police and soldiers STORYLINE: Filipinos began voting Monday morning to elect their next president and some 18,000 other officials of all levels of government. A total of 37,211 polling centers across the country opened at 6 a.m. local time (2200 GMT Sunday) for the 65.7 million eligible voters and will close at 7 p.m. local time (1100 GMT). STANDUP (English): YANG YUNQI, Xinhua correspondent "I'm now standing inside one of the polling centers here in Manila, and you can see behind me many people have already shown up, ready to cast their votes. According to the final pre-election nationwide surveys, former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos, is leading with majority, while his main rival, incumbent Vice President Maria Leono

Slovenians vote to elect new parliament

STORY: Slovenians vote to elect new parliament DATELINE: April 25, 2022 LENGTH: 0:03:00 LOCATION: Ljubljana CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of polling stations 2. SOUNDBITE (English): Voter STORYLINE: About 1.7 million eligible Slovenian voters went to polling stations on Sunday to choose a new 90-seat parliament among a total of 1,476 candidates from 20 parties or party alliances. SOUNDBITE (English): Voter "I hope that a lot of people will participate, especially young people. And they will get really informed, and choose what they think is right. Because there are many issues we have to resolve. And I especially hope that we could really connect this country, because I think it's divided, and push it forward." Most polls predicted a close race between Prime Minister Janez Jansa's Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and the center-left Freedom Movement (FM), a new party headed by manager Robert Golob. According to polls, each of the two parties could get about 25 percent of the votes while

Voters cast ballots to choose lower house members

Voters cast ballots to choose lower house members

GIFU, Japan - Many voters visit a polling station in Gifu, central Japan, to elect new members of the House of Representatives on Sept. 11. (Kyodo)

Kawamura secures another term as Nagoya mayor

Kawamura secures another term as Nagoya mayor

Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura speaks at a press conference in the central Japan city on April 23, 2017, after being re-elected for the fourth time, with many voters backing his tax-cut policies. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo