Published: April 28, 2008 08:13 pm         

Early voting remains popular in southern W.Va.

County clerks report turnout has been good

Southern West Virginia’s love affair with early voting hasn’t paled in the least.

If anything, marking ballots in advance of this year’s May 13 primary has shown the concept is growing in popularity.

“It’s going good,” Summers County Clerk Mary Merritt said Monday.

A few days into the early voting period, some 160 residents had cast their ballots.

“We really had a good turnout the first day,” she said. “I do predict 1,000 or so.”

More than 500 took part in the initial days in Raleigh County, indicating to Clerk Betty Riffe the end total will meet or beat the 5,000 who voted early two years ago.

“We’ll be open the next two Saturdays,” Riffe said. “I figure it will get moving pretty quick now.”

Greenbrier Clerk B.J. Livesay says voters there likewise are taking advantage of the convenience and the voting has been going “pretty well.”

“It’s not been as overwhelming as I thought it would be,” Clerk Kelvin Holliday said of the voting in Fayette County.

“But for the first three days, we had close to a 100 per day average. It will pick up closer to the election.”

So far, about 200 people turned out in Nicholas County. The last time out, early voters numbered 1,089, said Clerk Wanda Hendrickson.

“But I think it will pick up and there will be more,” she said.

Hendrickson also is expecting an upsurge when the courthouse is open on the next two Saturdays.

“It’s great,” Wyoming County Clerk Michael Goode said. “Its great. Early voting is working out really good.”

One clear trend has emerged. Goode noted that three-fourths of the early voters preferred the old-fashioned paper ballot over the touch screen voting machines.

Monroe County is small, but Clerk Donnie Evans sees a healthy participation in the early process. As of Monday, at least 68 voters had come by in advance of the primary.

“We mailed out probably a little over 100 absentee ballots,” he added.

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com