Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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September 28, 2011

Turnout slow as early voting period winds down

By KATE COIL Bluefield Daily Telegraph

PRINCETON — Though turnout has been slow so far, election officials are hoping their the number of residents casting their ballots in the special gubernatorial election will pick up by the time the early voting period ends on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Mercer County Clerk Verlin Moye said 991 voters cast their ballots in Mercer County as of Tuesday, but the county is hoping for more.

“We were hoping for more, but we take what we can get,” Moye said. “We are trying to drum up more interest in the last final stretch. We are really hoping to see a good turnout in these past few days.”

According to Moye, many voters have been taking advantage of the county’s satellite voting location in Bluefield.

“We’re really trying to get the word out on the new location over at the Bluefield Auditorium on Stadium Drive in Bluefield,” Moye said. “We are very happy with that location. We have had a higher turnout there during this election than it was during the special primary when we opened. It’s been significantly higher turnout. Once people  realize that location is there and is there to stay, it will become second nature for people to vote there. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback about the location. There’s plenty of parking and it’s very handicap accessible.”

In Mercer County, residents can early vote at the Mercer County Courthouse in Princeton and at the satellite voting location at the Bluefield Auditorium on Stadium Drive in Bluefield. Both locations are open for voting Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Crystal Greer, a spokesperson with the McDowell County Clerk’s office, said 102 voters have already cast their ballots during the early voting period in the county.

“I think this is a little lower than what we had this time last year, but we still have until Saturday, Oct. 1 for people to come out and early vote,” Greer said. “I think early voting has gone good so far. We want to get in as many people to vote as possible before the election is over. We are just hoping for a good turnout.”

Voters can still come out to early vote at the McDowell County Courthouse in Welch Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

According to Monroe County Clerk Donald J. Evans, the county has counted 139 early votes so far.

“Turnout is similar to what we seen in the special primary election in May but lower than other elections,” Evans said. “Historically, early voting increases toward the end of the early voting period, which ends Saturday, Oct. 1. Even though there is only one office on this particular ballot, this election is just as important than any other election and people should exercise their right and vote.”

Evans said he is hoping Monroe County will see a better turnout for the special gubernatorial election than they did for the special gubernatorial primary in May.

“We only had a 12 percent turnout in the May special primary election,” Evans said. “Monroe County presently has 9,764 registered voters. In the May special primary election, 12 percent or 1,172 voters out of 9,764 registered voters actually voted and made the decision as to who would be nominated from the respective parties to be placed on the general election ballot. This means that 8,592 registered voters didn’t vote. We hope that voter turnout increases in this upcoming election.”

Monroe County residents can vote at the Monroe County Courthouse in Union Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

According to a recent report issued by the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, 23,239 early and absentee ballots have been cast of as Tuesday morning.

West Virginians will also be able to cast their ballots from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. at their local polling places on Election Day Oct. 4.

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