European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes thursday november 8,1990democrats wrest 6 governorships president Bush deposits his ballot in Houston before returning to the White House. Vote by fax option offered to troops deployed in Gulf by the los Angeles times Washington tuesdays elections marked a first some troops deployed in the persian Gulf were casting a not so secret vote by fax. The Pentagon made the special arrangement with 33 states because of problems caused by the sudden and massive deployment including the time it takes for Absentee ballots to be mailed to and from saudi Arabia. Most servicemen and women in the Gulf continued to vote by mail according to Henry Valentino director of the Pentagon a voting assistance program. But the fax machine plugged into an at amp to phone line that has enabled troops to Send electronic letters Home played an emergency backup role. By late monday . Election officials had faxed 1,600 ballots to the Gulf a using a toll free 800 number. But Only 20 had been returned by the device Valentino said. The deadline for receiving faxed ballots was poll closing time tuesday. Faxing voters must sign a statement saying they understand that they Are waiving their right to a secret ballot. The Pentagon shipped More than 200,000 forms to the persian Gulf so that troops could apply for Absentee ballots by mail. Valentino said there were indications from officials in Many states that Absentee voting by the military would compare favourably with 1986, the last non presiden tial election year. About 90 percent of the voting by my Italy people stationed in the United states Ana abroad is done by Absentee ballot. A some officials Are being deluged with requests for Absentee ballots a Valentino said. Spot checks found that Absentee ballot requests by military people were up in san Antonio Down in los Angeles and Down slightly in Houston. By last tuesday officials in Bexar county Texas had received 1,676 Absentee ballots from service people up from about 500 received in 1986. A a it a very difficult to say Why other than the fact that in the last couple of years the defense department has been trying to encourage Trie military to vote from one year to the next not just in a presidential year a said Marco a. Gomez a Bexar county clerk. In Houston county officials reported receiving about 1,000 Absentee ballots from Mui taty personnel Down about 100 from 1986. Los Angeles county officials said that the military had made 2,400 applications for Absentee ballots this year compared with 3,879 in 1986. Valentino said that each military unit has a voting assistance officer. Unit commanders Are required to hold training sessions at least twice on the importance of voting during a Federal election year. The commanders hand out cards that can be mailed to local election officials requesting a registration form and Absentee ballot. A for operation desert shield we asked commanders to make sure that individuals were advised of their right to vote a Valentino said. A we suggested that any reservist who could Register and vote before reporting to Active duty do  from Page 1 trend a even though incumbent members were being re elected at a substantial rate. New York gov. Mario Cuomo won in a possible prelude to a 1992 democratic presidential Campaign. Besides Bill Bradley two other potential challengers to president Bush won easy Senate reelection a a1 Gore in Tennessee and Sam Nunn in Georgia. In Florida Chiles won handily Over first term Republican gov. Bob Martinez. Democrat David Walters grabbed the open Republican governorship in Oklahoma. Bruce Sundlun wrested the governorship from republicans in hard times Rhode Island ousting Edward Diprete. Former gov. Bruce Kings successful comeback returned new Mexico to the democratic column and Joan Finney ousted gop gov. Mike Hayden in Kansas. Most House incumbents were breezing to re election and democrats were pressing to add to their majority. Aside from Sanders Victory in Vermont Stan Parris gave Way in Northern Virginia while the democrats lost incumbent Roy Dyson on Maryland a Eastern Shore. In the Parris race abortion was an Issue and Winner James Moran was pro Choice. Thirty six states elected governors and in 13 of them the incumbent was not on the ballot. Twenty nine of the nations governors Are currently democratic. The House of representatives was securely in democratic control As it has been since the Eisenhower Era. All 435 seats were on the ballot although most attention clustered around 29 races without an incumbent 18 of them currently in Republican hands. In the House speaker Tom Foley d-wash., was heavily favored while gop Leader Bob Michel of Illinois did not have a democratic opponent. The Republican winners Circle included 87-year-old sen. Strom Thurmond who claimed a seventh term in South Carolina John Warner in Virginia Phil Gramm in Texas William Cohen in Maine Mitch Mcconnell in Kentucky Pete Domenici in new Mexico Alan Simpson in Wyoming Thad Cochran in Mississippi and Larry Pressler in South Dakota. Dan Coats won in Indiana and Nancy Kassebaum in Kansas. Democrat Howell Heflin won in Alabama David Boren in Oklahoma Jay Rockefeller in West Virginia Tom Harkin of Iowa David Pryor m Arkansas. Joe Biden won in Delaware Paul Simon in Illinois Max Baucus of Montana James Exon in Nebraska and Carl Levin in Michigan. John Kerry won in Massachusetts and Claiborne Pell in next door Rhode Island. In the statehouse. Races republicans Carroll Campbell won a second term in South Carolina and Judd Gregg did likewise in new Hampshire and Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin. Terry Branstad was re elected in Iowa and George Mickel son in South Dakota. Among the democratic incumbent governors Ned Mcwherter won in Tennessee Robert Casey in Pennsylvania William Clinton in Arkansas Roy Romer in Colorado and William Donald Schaefer in Maryland. Zell Miller was elected governor of Georgia after four terms As democratic lieutenant governor. Wyoming a Mike Sullivan won a new term As did Cecil Andrus in Idaho and John Waihee in Hawaii. Poll on election Day finds voters gloomy Over Congress future Washington a voters Are a gloomy Bunch with Little Faith in Congress or the nations future according to an election Day Telephone poll. Nearly three quarters of those questioned tuesday in the Abc news voter poll said the economic Outlook was getting worse and the nation was on the wrong track. An overwhelming majority of those with dim views were democrats. The poll respondents rated the deficit Ana the persian Gulf standoff As the nations most critical problems. Their top few a very important voting issues a clouded the Federal budget Iraq taxes and the National Economy. The poll suggested that recent Republican waffling Over taxes and the Federal budget has reinforced the perception that the gop is the party of the Rich. Two thirds of those questioned said the democratic party was a Best for the  some 79 percent a including %7 percent of the republicans a said the republicans were a Best for the  looked at by income groups 66 percent of voters making less than $15,000 a year said they voted for democrats. The democrats also were favored by those making up to $49,000. Among those making Over that sum the vote was evenly split Between the two parties. The voters in the Survey also were evenly split on which party could be a trusted on future  but there was Broad bipartisan sup port for president Bush a policies in Iraq a 69 percent total including 45 percent of the democrats. About the same percentages said they would support . Force if it is needed in the Gilf. Bush a approval rating May be lower than it once was but the Abc poll suggests people Are More than three times As fed up with Congress. A full 57 percent of those questioned said they approved of Bush a performance a but Only 18 percent said they approved of the Way Congress was doing its Job. In addition 77 percent said Congress needs a fresh ideas rather than experience. Despite their negative View of Congress however 62 percent said they approved of their own House members performance. And when push came to shove More than half a 55 percent a said they voted to retain their current congressional representative. In a very Early peek at the 1992 presidential race Bush came out substantially ahead of an array of democrats who conceivably might run. But doubts about vice president Dan Quayle persisted with Only 44 percent of those questioned saying he was qualified to be president. The Abc poll was based on interviews with 661 people who had already voted or who indicated in replies to several screening questions that they were going to vote. The poll takers warned that Telephone polling sometimes overstates turnout