CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Early voting on the road bond referendum ended Wednesday across West Virginia, leaving voters one final day to cast their ballot on whether the state can sell bonds for road construction projects.
According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, more than 29,000 people had voted early prior to Wednesday’s voting activities.
If the road bond amendment passes, the state would be allowed to issue $1.6 billion in road bonds to fund road construction projects across West Virginia.
More than 3,000 resident of Kanawha County had voted on the issue.
“I think people are realizing this is the last day for early voting and they’re coming in rather than go to their polls on Saturday,” said Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick.
McCormick said more people are deciding to vote early, so they don’t have to head to the polls on Saturday.
“There’s so much going on this Saturday that a lot of people like to get their voting over with,” she said. “I think it’s going to be slow.”
In Monongalia County, the County Clerk’s office reported similar numbers to that of Kanawha County.
Monongalia County Clerk Carye Blaney said while early voting is popular, the turnout has been less than that of other elections.
“This is the only item that will be on the ballot,” she said. “You don’t have the TV commercials. You don’t have a lot of the ‘paid for’ media that typically surrounds candidate elections. Some people still don’t even know we’re having an election on Saturday.”
McCormick is predicting 10 percent voter turnout for Saturday.
“People need to get out and vote,” she said. “That’s their voice. That’s the time that we can get out and let people know how we feel.”
Gov. Jim Justice spent much of Wednesday in the Eastern Panhandle to discuss the bond referendum.
During a Tuesday town hall meeting at Potomac State College in Keyser, the governor urged those in attendance to vote for the amendment or risk plunging the state into a deeper economic crisis.
“The bottom line is we gotta get out and vote,” he said. “This is not going to raise their taxes in any way, shape, form or fashion and it is our launching pad opportunity to economic goodness within our state in many many many different ways and if we don’t do it it is going to be a catastrophe, that is all there is too it.”
Justice is scheduled to be in Fayette County on Thursday for a town hall on the matter. That will be held at Smokey’s Steakhouse at Adventures on the Gorge at noon.
Polls will open Saturday at 6:30 a.m., and remain open until 7:30 p.m.