Turnout high for early voting

Staff Reports

Early voting ends Friday in preparation for the Nov. 7 general election next Tuesday.

Clerk-Treasurer Barbara Griffin said Tuesday that the number of early voters has been nearly equal to that of two years ago.

"I won't be surprised if 8,000 people vote early this year if you add the absentee ballots," she said.

As of the end of Monday, 3,823 people had taken advantage of early voting, or more than 13 percent of the county's 29,055 registered voters.

Early voters will be able to cast their ballots at the Minden Inn through 6 p.m. Friday. However, folks may cast ballots 3:30-6:30 p.m. today in Stateline. On Thursday, voters will be able to cast ballots at the Johnson Lane Fire Station 3:30-7 p.m. Any registered voter may cast a ballot at these locations.

Griffin said the number of registered voters in Douglas County, which comprises 60 percent of the population, exceeds the national average.

"Nationally, you take the number of registered voters and double it and that is generally your population," she said. "We do have a very committed populace of voters. We have residents who want to vote, register to vote and do vote. They're very involved in keeping themselves informed. It says a lot for the residents of this county."

Because this is a mid-term election, voter turnout tends to be lighter than in presidential years.

"Douglas County has a good turnout in non-presidential years," Griffin said. "Based on early voting, the figures could turn out somewhere in the 80s. I'm hoping we hit 80 percent."

Griffin said voters who've had an emergency, but want to vote, can still obtain an absentee ballot by contacting the clerk's office.

"We don't want to disenfranchise any voter," Griffin said.