Polls close as Alabama awaits results in Senate race

Dec. 13--The race between Doug Jones and Roy Moore has been characterized as a battle over abortion, a referendum on President Donald Trump's agenda and a watershed moment for the "me too" movement against sexual harassment.

But for Anniston-area residents who voted on Tuesday, it was largely about character -- specifically, how to judge the character of a person you've never met.

"You're not guilty until you're proven guilty," said Rance Riderer, 68, of Heflin, who cast a vote for Moore.

For 25 years, voters in this deeply red state have had little difficulty deciding which party's candidate they want to represent them in the U.S. Senate. But Tuesday's special election, pitting Democratic former federal prosecutor Jones against Moore, a former judge and religious-right celebrity, seemed to require soul-searching from some voters.

Moore, who as chief justice was twice disciplined by the court system for defying court orders on a Ten Commandments monument and same-sex marriage, has long been a favorite of the social conservatives who make up much of the state's population. Still, allegations last month by several women, who said Moore pursued them romantically or sexually when he was in his 30s and they were in their teens, rattled his reputation among fellow Republicans. Moore has denied the allegations.

Jones, who as a U.S. attorney prosecuted Klansmen who bombed a Birmingham church in the 1960s, has developed a strong following among Democrats. But a Jones victory would likely require a significant swing vote among Republicans who are both disaffected by Moore and willing to overlook the Democrat's support for abortion rights.

Lynne Cotton and Steve Cotton of Jacksonville didn't mention the allegations against Moore when asked why they voted for Doug Jones.

"He's the one I agreed with the most," said Lynn, 58, after the couple voted at Jacksonville's First Baptist Church in the morning.

Steve, who wore a blue "Bernie Sanders for President" cap, said they carefully research candidates in every election.

"We even like some of the Republicans," he said. "We're not closed-minded."

The most important factor for Steve, 68, was the president, and Roy Moore's support of him.

"I'm not happy with the president's agenda, Trump's agenda," he said.

That influenced the votes of another couple at the same polling place a few minutes later. Chuck Blair and Joann Blair both chose Roy Moore, in part as a way of supporting Donald Trump, said Joann, 71.

Joann was skeptical of the allegations against Moore. He'd held elected office for years, she said, "and now they want to blacken his name?"

Robert Wilkins, retired from the military, said Tuesday morning that he struggled with his decision to vote for Roy Moore. Wilkins cast his ballot at the South Highland Community Center in Anniston.

"I don't like him," Wilkins said. "However, I'm an independent that leans more to the right and voting for Moore just seemed like the lesser of two evils."

Wilkins, 54, said a vote for Moore was an opportunity to "keep the majority in Congress," but conceded that the allegations against Moore are serious and should be handled as such.

"If the allegations turn out to be true I hope they don't seat him," he said.

Polls closed at 7 p.m., marking the end of a campaign that began in February, when former Sen. Jeff Sessions was confirmed as U.S. attorney general, leaving a Senate seat up for grabs. It's the first Senate race since President Donald Trump took office, and the only federal election underway in the nation right now. The election has drawn attention from news media around the world, eager to see if the vote portends anything for the 2018 midterms.

The attention seems to have boosted local turnout, but within limits. Less than 20 percent of the electorate turned out for the August primary, though election officials projected a 25 percent turnout on Tuesday.

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