CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state’s largest counties continue to report record early voter turnout numbers.
Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick said her county passed the 21,000 mark Wednesday which is near the county’s record total for a presidential election. McCormick predicts the county will get close to 30,000 before Saturday’s deadline.
“We might have a line but it goes very smooth and very fast,” McCormick said.
The presidential election seems to be driving the turnout, she said.
“People want to vote.”
Kanawha County has approximately 123,000 registered voters. The county added 3,000 newly registered voters since the May Primary.
McCormick predicts the good turnout will continue on election day. She’s predicting a 70 percent turnout.
Berkeley County Clerk Tony Petrucci said 17 percent of all voters in his county, more than 16,000, had early voted by noon Wednesday.
The county has had to add three machines each at two of its satellite early voting locations.
Petrucci said they’ve really had no problems with electioneering.
“We’ve had a few, maybe five, people came in who forgot to take their hat off of who they are supporting. We ask them to take it off and they do,” he said.
Wednesday is the final day to apply for an absentee ballot if a voter is going to be out of town on election day.
“The absentee ballot process is the alternative to in-person voting for voters who cannot vote during any portion of the 10-day early voting period or on Election Day. It is an opportunity for voters to cast a ballot and participate in our election process,” West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner said. “But it is likewise important to understand and comply with the deadlines.”