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Vermonters met expectations of high voter turnout last Tuesday, flocking to the polls in numbers not seen since former President Bill Clinton was elected 16 years ago.
 
On Tuesday, the Elections and Campaign Finance division of Vermont's State Department published its report on this year's voter turnout as well as complete election results.
 
Over 66 percent of all eligible voters actually cast their votes, or about 326,822 people. An estimated 30 percent of the voters used absentee ballots.
 
"I am pleased to see that we had a very strong turnout in this election," Vermont's Secretary of State Deb Markowitz said in a statement on Tuesday. "Over 66 percent of the voting age population cast votes."

America has chosen its next president. The House and Senate are set (mostly). So now it's time for the Politicker team to get some rest.

Check back here on Monday for all the latest and greatest political news. For now, enjoy our coverage of Election 2008 from the earliest announcements, through the conventions, to the big day.

In an election cycle dominated by change, Vermont incumbents at the state and national level kept a tight hold on their seats and Vermont voters kept up their independent voting streak.

Vermont's sole U.S. Representative, Peter Welch (D-Hartland), claimed nearly 85 percent of the vote, according to the early results. His closest competitor, independent Mike Bethel, earned less than 5 percent of the vote.

Exit polls by WCAX show Vermont's sole U.S. Congressman, Peter Welch (D-Hartland), has handily won his re-election bid.

Welch, a first time representative, received tremendous support among Green Mountain state residents and secured his seat with over 84 percent of the vote, with about 92 percent of precincts reporting.

As a result of the primaries, the congressional representative received the nomination of both the Democratic and Republican Parties, although he is a Democrat.

This week's Winners & Losers. | CLICK HERE

Amid the tumult of several good elections for Democrats, including the 2006 tide that sank all Republican boats, three GOP members of Congress have held on to otherwise Democratic seats by narrow margins. This year, as a perfect storm looks set to sweep GOP incumbents from office coast to coast, the three survivors look likely to swim, or sink, together.

Though U.S. Reps. Dave Reichert, Mark Kirk and Christopher Shays represent districts about as far apart as one can get without crossing an ocean, they have remarkably similar constituencies. Voters they represent are largely well-educated, well-off and, as their survival demonstrates, willing to split tickets between popular politicians of both parties.

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch: Campaign PhotoFor the second time this week, Vermont's sole U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Hartland) considered a version of the financial bailout package. This time he voted for the legislation which ultimately passed in the House of Representatives by 263-171 votes.

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch: Campaign PhotoVermont's only U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Hartland) voted Monday to reject the proposed $700 billion "bailout bill," which ultimately failed 205-228, with one representative abstaining.

After over three hours of impassioned debate, Congress moved to vote on the proposed legislation, but it did not receive the support it needed, falling just a few votes shy of the number needed to pass with a simple majority.

As the weather turns colder and summer turns into fall, Vermont received Wednesday more than $2.4 million in additional federal aid for home heating relief for the coming winter months.

President Bush Wednesday ordered Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt to release the remaining reserve funds from the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program-approximately $120 million-as requested by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Middlesex) and supported by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Burlington) and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Hartland).

"Soaring home heating costs already are a clear and present threat facing thousands of Vermont households," Leahy said in a statement. "These funds were doing no good sitting in an agency's vault. Congress appropriated these funds for times like these."

Fewer than one in 10 Vermonters cast a ballot in this year's statewide primary election, making this year the worst turnout of any primary election this decade.

On Tuesday, the Elections and Campaign Finance division of Vermont's State Department published its report on this year's voter turnout as well as complete election results. Only 36,716 people participated in last week's election, out of a possible 431,631 registered voters -- just 8.5 percent, far less than half of about 87,000 Vermonters who made it to the polls in 2006.

Officials anticipated a low voter turnout this year, as Secretary of State Deb Markowitz told PolitickerVT.com last week that this year was a sleepy year for elections, especially since the only two competitive statewide races were the Democratic race for U.S. representative and for lieutenant governor.