THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, May 10, 1996                   TAG: 9605100498
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   53 lines

REGISTRARS RELEASE OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS HEAVIEST TURNOUT OF VOTERS WAS IN PORTSMOUTH

Voter turnout in Tuesday's election was strongest by far in Portsmouth. Spurred by a dramatic mayor's race, the city had all 10 of the busiest precincts in the region, according to official results released Thursday.

Because of an Election Day fact-gathering error, a story on Thursday's front page incorrectly said that Suffolk was the South Hampton Roads city with the highest voter turnout. Because of the same error, the story also identified the region's top voting precincts as Hollywood and Nansemond River in Suffolk.

Turnout among registered voters was strong in those Suffolk precincts - Hollywood had 46 percent and Nansemond River had 49.3 percent, based on totals released by the registrar's office Wednesday. In fact, they led all other Suffolk precincts, in part because voters were motivated by challenger Leroy Bennett's successful bid for the Nansemond Borough seat.

Even with the revised totals, those precincts remained in the top 20 regionally - ranked 12th and 18th.

But Portsmouth voters turned out in the greatest numbers. Precincts in the city - led by Lakeview Elementary and several other majority-black precincts that supported former Major James W. Holley III - dominated the top 10 list.

A separate typing error resulted in Norfolk's Lafayette Library being listed among the top 10 voting precincts. Turnout in that precinct was 35 percent - not enough to make the list.

The official citywide turnout figures, released by registrars' offices Thursday, are: Portsmouth, 47 percent; Chesapeake, 34 percent; Suffolk, 31.9 percent; Virginia Beach, 27 percent; and Norfolk, 26 percent.

Final vote totals for all cities for all races based on the official registrars' results will be published Sunday in the Virginia Beach Beacon, the Chesapeake Clipper and the Suffolk Sun, and next week in the Norfolk Compass and Portsmouth Currents. MEMO: [A correction appeared on page A2 for this date regarding error in

Thursday's story.]

ILLUSTRATION: TOP 10 VOTING PRECINCTS ACROSS THE REGION

All were in the city of Portsmouth

[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]

SOURCE: Official tallies released by region's registrars on

Thursday.

KEYWORDS: ELECTION RESULTS VOTER TURNOUT by CNB