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Posted: May 6, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail
According to unofficial totals from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office, more than 68,000 people voted early for Tuesday’s primary election.
Of the 68,391 early and absentee ballots reported to the office, 34,996 were submitted by Democrats; 22,679 by Republicans; 35 by members of the Mountain Party; 206 by members of other political parties; and 10,475 by voters who aren’t members of any political party.
Some counties use methods other than the State Voter Registration System handled by the Secretary of State’s office, so the final early voting totals may be higher. For example, Monroe County only had 36 early votes recorded in the unofficial tally, while Upshur County had 39.
Kanawha County had the most early votes recorded. The Secretary of State’s office put the number at 6,809, but Kanawha County officials said in a news release Sunday afternoon that the total was 6,569.
Of those, Kanawha officials said, more than 2,000 cast their ballots at the five satellite early voting locations throughout the county. That included 689 at the Cross Lanes sheriff’s detachment, 506 at the Elkview sheriff’s detachment, 392 at the Sissonville Public Library, 352 at the Belle Town Hall and 207 at the Marmet Town Hall.
The Kanawha news release called the early voting turnout a success and said the numbers exceeded expectations.
“I want to thank County Clerk Vera McCormick, her dedicated staff, and our excellent poll workers,” Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said in the release. “Early Community Voting required a tremendous amount of effort and would not have been possible without the hard work of so many.”
Early voting began April 25 and ended Saturday. The primary election is Tuesday; polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
