CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Voting got off to a smooth start in Kanawha and Putnam counties Tuesday morning for the West Virginia Primary Election and is expected to continue that way, according to both county clerks.
“Some poll workers showed up late, but other than that, we got open on time and it’s just a typical election day,” said Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick.
Kanawha County could see a voter turnout as high as 40 or 50 percent by the end of the day on Tuesday, McCormick said. Additional voting booths had to be taken out to most of their 163 precincts.
“We got more people coming into vote it seems like,” McCormick said.
Early voting numbers in Kanawha County were over 7,000 — a new record for the 10-day period. McCormick predicted Tuesday will still be a busy day because of it being a presidential election.
“I think people’s just excited about it,” she said. “I think this year, West Virginia, our vote’s going to count.”
In Putnam County, the vibe on Tuesday was similar. Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood said they were off to a great start at all 46 of its precincts.
“So far, so good. No major concerns. It looks like it’s not overwhelming, but it’s steady — a flow of traffic with the voters, so that’s a good thing,” Wood said.
A few poll workers called out, but Wood said they filled those positions in time. There were about 3,200 early voters in Putnam County. Wood said he expects a high voter turnout by the end of the day.
“I think it’ll be better than the past couple primaries just due to the presidential election,” he said.
Putnam County has nearly 37,000 overall voters. Kanawha County has approximately 137,000 registered voters.
Polls close Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.