Thousands more Democrats turned out for early voting for Tuesday’s first election.
Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said this morning that 5,000 more Democrats than Republicans turned out during the two-week period. In the 2011 first election, 3,000 more Democrats turned out than their GOP counterparts.
This year’s early voters also far exceeded that from four years ago, with 48,859 casting ballots compared to 26,007 in 2011.
Despite the huge jump in early voting, Holland is still predicting a turnout of 30 to 35 percent.
Candidates for the city offices have been working hard to get voters out early, especially in the race for mayor and sheriff.
“As time goes by, more people are seeing the time value and convenience factor (of early voting),” said Republican mayoral candidate Bill Bishop.
Mayor Alvin Brown, a Democrat, said he thinks part of the reason more people are voting early is in response to his positive campaign that’s based on results.
Lenny Curry, a Republican running for mayor, attributes the jump to intensive door-to-door and telephone campaigning by his staff.
He said people are engaged in talking about how to move the city forward and want to make sure their vote is counted.
A large Democratic turnout can be a good sign for the party’s candidates in crowded races, such as for Ken Jefferson, who is running for sheriff, or in crowded City Council contests.