Share43,650 vote early in special W.Va. primary
The Associated PressA total 43,650 people have already cast ballots in Saturday's special primary in the West Virginia governor's race, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said Thursday.
Early voting began April 29 and ended Wednesday. During that 11-day period, 27,435 Democrats and 12,933 Republicans cast ballots, Tennant said. Another 3,196 voters who aren't affiliated with either party also took part.
The polls are open Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and in all, more than 1.2 million people are eligible to vote.
That includes 650,582 Democrats, 350,618 Republicans and 214,954 independents or members of other parties. About 1,170 people are registered to vote with the Mountain Party, which nominated Bob Henry Baber at its recent convention.
Six Democrats and eight Republicans are competing for their parties' nominations.
A special general election to fill the remainder of former Gov. Joe Manchin's term is set for Oct. 4. Manchin was elected to the U.S. Senate last year, assuming the seat that had been held for a half-century by the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd.
This is the fourth statewide election in 12 months, and Tennant said it's difficult to compare the last three early voting periods because they've occurred at different times of the year. But the latest turnout shows the practice continues to grow in popularity.
In the regular May 2010 primary, 40,557 early votes were cast. In the August 2010 special primary to fill Byrd's seat, 31,061 early ballots were cast.
Early voting began in 2002, and Tennant said the highest turnout was during the 2008 general election, with 153,096 votes cast. In last fall's general election, 108,212 people voted early.
Tennant also urged voters to report any activity they believe may be illegal, such as vote-selling, trying to vote more than once or campaigning within 300 feet of a polling place.
"We hold our elections to the highest standards, and violation of election laws will not be tolerated," she said.
A representative will be present in all 55 counties, and the secretary's office will open at 5 a.m. It will do periodic, live webcasts on the progress Saturday.
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W.Va. Secretary of State: http://www.sos.wv.gov/elections/Pages/default.aspx