Good morning, and Happy Primary Election Day! Here are some last-minute observations about the election:
–Secretary of State Mac Warner is advising voters to check their polling place before heading out today. “This election will be the first election held after the legislature and counties redesigned the political districts and precinct boundaries due to the 2020 Census,” said Warner. “We now have 100 single-member House of Delegates districts. These changes may impact where voters vote and which candidates appear on their ballots, so it is very important for voters to make a plan for voting and be prepared to cast their ballot.”
–The Secretary of State’s Office has a helpful interactive website with lots of voter information. Just go to https://www.mapwv.gov/vote/ enter your address and it will tell you your polling location and have links to sample ballots.
–Both the Democratic and Republican parties have open primaries. That means voters who are not registered with a recognized political party can request a ballot of either party. It is important that independent voters ask for the ballot of their choice. Poll workers are instructed not to guide voters to one party or another.
–Turnout will be low because, well, it is typically low for an off-year Primary Election. The turnout has averaged just 23 percent in the last three year off-year primaries.
–Most of the races are for nominations of the Democratic or Republican parties, but today is THE election for non-partisan judicial races and county school boards. In some counties, voters will decide on levies.
–Today is also Primary Election Day in Nebraska, where there are many more races on the ballot. Voters in the Cornhusker State are choosing their party nominees for all statewide offices, including Governor, the legislature and Congress. The Nebraska Secretary of State is predicting a turnout of about 35 percent.
–Election results are returning faster now thanks to the expanded use of voting machines and improved technology. However, inevitably a couple of counties will have computer and tabulation problems, potentially delaying the results by hours.
–One of the biggest changes this election cycle is that the state now has all single-member House of Delegate Districts. Voters who previously could choose multiple candidates in their House district are now limited to one.
–With all those blank spaces on the ballot you may be tempted to write in a name. However, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, if the individual has not filed as a write-in candidate, then their votes will not be counted, and they are not eligible to win. The names of eligible write-in candidates are posted at each polling place.
—MetroNews will provide live, continuous coverage of the Primary Election starting at 7:06 tonight. Our focus will be exclusively on Congressional and Legislative races. You can access our unofficial election results on our special election pages powered by CityNet.