Shore Early Voting Data Impressive

BERLIN — While it remains to be seen how the voter turnout numbers will be during next Tuesday’s General Election after an abysmal June primary, a look at the nearly completed early voting totals across the Lower Shore and the state suggest there is considerable interest this time around.

Early voting began in jurisdictions across the state last Thursday and concluded yesterday. Through Wednesday, the statewide early voting totals with one day to go came in at 243,399, or roughly 6.6 percent of the entire number of eligible voters in the state. While the percentage is not huge, it is fairly remarkable considering just over 20 percent of the state’s electorate participated in the primary election in June.

On the Lower Shore, the numbers were even more pronounced. In Worcester, for example, where early voting began last Thursday at the Gull Creek Senior Center in Berlin, nearly 3,000 voters had cast their ballots in advance of the General Election with one full day to go. A total of 2,961 county residents voted early at Gull Creek over the last week, representing over 8 percent of Worcester’s entire eligible voter rolls.

On Day One, last Thursday, 676 early ballots were cast in Worcester, followed by 516 last Friday.

Over the weekend, the figures dropped with 223 county voters last Saturday and another 238 on Sunday. Throughout the week, the numbers trended upward including 419 on Monday, 433 on Tuesday and 456 on Wednesday. With a full day uncounted from yesterday, Worcester’s early voting total could swell to double digits.

In Wicomico, the early voting trends over the last week or so followed a similar trend. A total of 4,150 Wicomico County residents had voted early as of Wednesday, representing just over 7 percent of the eligible voters.

In Somerset, the figures are even more pronounced, although the sample size is considerably smaller. Through Wednesday, 1.051 voters had cast early ballots in Somerset, representing over 15 percent of the county’s eligible voters. At 15 percent, Somerset by far had the highest percentage of early voters out of all jurisdictions in the state.

It’s uncertain what the early voting turnouts will mean for the overall turnout on Tuesday, but it appears encouraging. During the primary in June, just 20.71 percent of the state’s voters turned out with 20.21 in Worcester, 20.24 in Wicomico and a state-leading 24.43 in Somerset. During the 2012 General Election, which included a presidential election, 76 percent of Worcester voters cast ballots including eight-percent early votes. In Wicomico, 75 percent voted and 11 percent cast early ballots. In Somerset, 74 percent voted in 2012 with 12 percent of the ballots cast early.