Early voting turnout down from 2022

LISA HOBBS

News Editor

Early voting ended on Saturday with a total of 5,074 voters casting their choices for local and state races.

“We had 5,073 and then received one more, so 5,074,” said Warren County Administrator of Elections Susie Davenport, who took a moment to speak with Warren County Way on Monday.

When asked if that number is similar to past elections, she added, “I looked at the numbers last night, and it’s actually about seven percent less than we had four years ago. We started out ahead in the numbers, but we ended up behind four years ago, which is the equivalent election in the cycles. So, I guess we will see what Election Day brings. Maybe people are waiting, because they haven’t made up their minds.”

On Saturday alone, 514 votes were cast.

“I expected us to be busy all day Saturday, but it rained Saturday morning. We had quite a few to begin with and then, it died off. Then, it was busy again when it stopped raining. It stayed busy throughout the rest of the day. So, we did have a good day on Saturday. We doubled what we had been doing on the other days, probably, but we didn’t do as much as I thought we would. Nevertheless, it was a good day. If it hadn’t rained, it would have probably stayed steady all day long. We can only bring so many people in, and nobody wants to stand out in the rain.”

Davenport says the beauty of Early Voting is that people are given 14 days in which to vote when the weather is good and their schedules are open, but the reality is that some people still wait until that final day.

Election Day is Thursday, Aug. 6. For more information, or if you need help in locating your voting precinct, the Warren County Election Commission can be reached at 931-473-5834.