CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Barely one in five West Virginians voted in Tuesday’s primary election.
According to numbers from the Secretary of State’s office, the unofficial statewide voter turnout was 19.7 percent with a total of 241,020 ballots being cast on election day or during the early voting period.
The official canvass of the votes will begin Monday.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant issued a public “thank you” to those who worked to pull off the election.
“There are thousands of people who play a vital role in our elections process, from the poll workers and county clerks to the Elections Division of the Secretary of State’s Office,” Tennant said in a statement.
“The people of West Virginia are grateful for their dedication to our democratic process, and we all saw their dedication pay off with a smooth election.”
At several precincts in both Logan County and Hardy County, voting machines were switched to battery back-ups during power outages on Tuesday. Overall, Tennant said only minor issues were reported elsewhere.
The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4.