High Absentee Voting Could Indicate Big Voter Turnout

Absentee voting numbers on the Coast are way up. As MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports that could be a sign of a big voter turnout today.

Workers at the Harrison Country Circuit Clerks office in Gulfport spent the day yesterday opening envelope after envelope sorting through absentee ballots. Harrison County has 90,000 registered voters and this year the Circuits Clerks office has received 2000 absentee ballots, double the number of the previous election. Gayle Parker, Harrison County Circuit Clerk says it was a big surprise,

“And the people that came in the office were extremely interested in this election, and I think the Congressional race has really brought a lot of interest to the voting public.”

Absentee ballots are up in all three coastal counties. In Hancock County they received 608 absentee ballots, Circuit Clerk Karen Ladner Ruhr says unlike some past elections, this year with the closely contested race between incumbent Democrat Congressman Gene Taylor and State Representative Republican Steven Palazzo it’s hard to forget there is a race,

“You know when you see everything that is on the television and in the news it is kind of a constant reminder that we do have elections going on. So maybe more people focus on it and they come in and vote.”

In Jackson county absentee ballots are also way up, even though the Congressional race is the one contested race on the whole ballot says Circuit Clerk Joe Martin,

“It’s a lot more than we usually have in this period elections, and of course the reason that is the Congressional race between Gene Taylor and Steven Palazzo.”

All of the Circuit Clerks along the Coast say the increased absentee ballots are a good indicator that the election turnout today will likely be very strong.