Early voting turnout at 11.7 percent

More than 2,400 Curry County residents have already had their say in the upcoming general election.

County Clerk Coni Jo Lyman said Wednesday that 1,694 people have cast an early ballot at the county courthouse.

As of 4:30 p.m. at the North Plains Mall, the county’s alternate early voting site, 761 votes had been cast. The mall site is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the courthouse is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for voting every day until Saturday.

There are 20,924 registered voters in Curry County — meaning that turnout is at 11.7 percent so far. Lyman said those numbers don’t count 843 absentee ballots that have been sent out.

“I would say it is (a good turnout), especially in a gubernatorial election,” Lyman said. “We’ve been very steady throughout.”

Turnout for gubernatorial elections usually runs a little more than 70 percent.

In addition to the gubernatorial races, there are two county tax questions on the ballot to pay for county courthouse and detention center upgrades.

The $33 million proposed by the bond issues — half through a property tax increase and half through a .25 percent gross receipts tax increase — would pay for what is considered the first phase of a county judicial complex.