Election season features both treats and tricks

With early voting ending on Halloween, it may be appropriate that there have been both treats and tricks related to the election.

The treat has been the turnout so far, according to Douglas County Elections Supervisor Concha Lord.

"We're pushing 8,000 so far, that's a pretty good turnout," she said.

As of end of business Monday, 7,772 residents had voted early. That number was projected to exceed 8,000 by the end of voting on Tuesday.

"We could have up to 50 percent turnout between early voting and absentee ballots," she said.

In all, there are 28,098 active voters registered in Douglas County. There are an additional 5,484 inactive voters, who didn't cast ballots in the 2006 general election.

Lord said the turnout is always higher during a presidential election.

In 2004, a record 91.8 percent of Douglas County's active voters cast ballots.

Because inactive voters can participate, some precincts had turnouts of more than 100 percent.

Absentee ballots are due in the Clerk's Office on Election Day, so don't mail them Tuesday, Lord said.

"Bring them in," she said. "They have to be in the clerk's office on Tuesday if they want them counted.

Lord said she didn't know who hired a sign spinner advertising early voting at Highway 395 and Esmeralda Avenue.

"But he appears to be non-partisan," she said.

Both Democrats and Republicans have been the victims of tricks in the home stretch before the election.

Racial slurs were painted on signs for candidate Sen. Barack Obama over the weekend in Jacks Valley.

Debbie Chappell said the instances were being reported to the Sheriff's Office.

Meanwhile Minden resident David Amador said his "Nobama" sign prompted hate mail from the Obama campaign.

The letter had was addressed to "Neighbor," with Amador's address.

Amador's response to the letter appears in today's letters to the editor.