MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Monongalia County’s voter turnout on Tuesday did not match numbers from the last midterm election cycle.
Nearly 20% of registered voters participated in the 2018 primary election, but Monongalia County officials told MetroNews affiliate WAJR-AM that around 18% of voters participated in this year’s primary.
“I was expecting to match at least that,” Monongalia County Clerk Carye Blaney said regarding 2018. “We did match for early voting, but I was hoping Election Day would have turned out also.”
Blaney said she thought voters would vote because of election issues and new districts. The House of Delegates’ move to single-member districts begins with this election cycle.
Delegate Joe Statler, R-Monongalia, said he believes the Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District discouraged some voters. Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., defeated colleague David McKinley in Tuesday’s contest.
“With all the mailers that have come through the McKinley-Mooney race, I predicted some of this, saying it was going to be a voter turn-off,” he said. “When you start getting four, five or six mailers a day, it basically turns people off.”
Ethan Moore, the Monongalia County Republican Party chairman, said he hoped single-member districts would have caused excitement.
“We had a congressional race that was hotly contested and mailboxes were stuffed to overflowing, and I think there was some apathy that stemmed from that and some incumbent fatigue,” he noted.
Around 4,400 Monongalia County residents voted early.