Wayne voters didn't decide to stay home
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 5, 2014 1:46 PM
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Nearly 45 percent, or 33,096, of Wayne County's 73,779 eligible voters, cast ballots in Tuesday's mid-term election. The total includes one-stop and absentee by mail.
However, that number could edge up some by next week as supplement absentee and provisional ballots are counted.
A provisional ballot records a vote when there are questions about a voter's eligibility.
Some supplemental absentee ballots were "walked-in" to election sites Tuesday. Ballots that were postmarked by 5 p.m. Tuesday, and that arrive by Friday, will be eligible to be counted.
Wayne County Elections Director Rosemary Blizzard said she hopes to know the number of provisional ballots by lunchtime on Thursday. She said she would send out an email announcing the total.
The plan is on Monday at 9 a.m. to count the provisional and supplemental absentee ballots, she said.
The vote canvass that will officially finalize the count will be held Friday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m.
Both will be held in the Board of Elections office, 209 S. William St.
The high volume of people trying to keep up with Tuesday's election results overwhelmed and crashed the state Board of Elections' website.
But Wayne County escaped any serious issues during the day, Mrs. Blizzard said.
The biggest issue was directing people to the correct polling place, she said.
Tuesday's turnout is up slightly from the mid-term election four years ago when 31,060 people voted. The increase this year probably follows population growth in the county, Mrs. Blizzard said.
"We would always like to see more turnout," she said. "The more people the better, but we were glad to see we met the turnout of four years ago."