(Aug. 23) -- The primary election is just around the corner and early voting is off to a big start. If this first weekend is any indication, election officials say we're on pace for a record-breaking early voter turnout. Those numbers are great news given the record number of voters who are now registering for the general election.
Las Vegan Lorri Holden is one of a growing number of early voters who enjoy the convenience of voting when and where they want to. "It's easy. I'm already at the gym -- I work out, I vote. It's done and I don't have to wait in line." Lorri says she was in and out of the polling place within five minutes at the Las Vegas Athletic Club on West Sahara, where more than a hundred voters had cast their primary ballots before noon on Monday.
Early voter Bill Sutton said, "I've made up my mind." And Bill Sutton isn't alone. Nearly 9,500 other Clark County residents who have made up their minds cast early ballots at 16 different polling places around the valley, including the Boulevard Mall.
Larry Lomax is the Registrar of Voters. "That's about twice the number that voted in that first weekend in the year 2000," he commented.
Lomax hopes this record-breaking early voting trend continues because voter registration in this battleground state for the presidency is also at an all-time high. "In the last 30 days, we've recieved 5,900 forms when for the entire year of 2003, we received 5,800 forms."
But election officials assure us there will be no nightmare repeat of the 1996 election when voters were still casting ballots at 10:30 at night. Now, with three times the number of machines and twice the number of polling sites added since then, officials are promising a smooth Election Day -- as long as everyone doesn't wait until the last minute
We need to do all we can to encourage people not to wait until five on election night to vote because that's when the lines occur," said Larry Lomax.
Here's another warning: don't wait until Election Day to find out if you're registered or where your polling place is. About 12,000 people called the election department on Election Day during the previous election.
You can find out by calling 455-VOTE.
Or find your voter registration information online now.
Early voting for the primary runs through Sept. 3.
Election officials say, between mail-in and early voting, more than half of all votes in Clark County are now being cast before Election Day.
Find information on early voting sites.
Find a link to the Primary Election Early Voting data by day.
