Nevada turnout rate after 8 days of voting: 7.4 percent

By Cy Ryan

Tuesday, June 1, 2010 | 10:51 a.m.

CARSON CITY – After eight days, 7.4 percent of registered voters have cast a ballot early for Nevada’s primary election.

“It’s about what we expected,” said Matt Griffin, deputy secretary of state in charge of elections. He said another 4-5 percent have probably voted by absentee ballot, putting the total at about 12 percent.

He said 79,302 Nevadans have cast their ballots.

In Clark County, the turnout has been 7 percent with 49,923 ballots cast. In Washoe County, the turnout is 6.8 percent with 14,648 people voting.

Pershing County leads the state with a turnout rate of 15.6 percent, with 336 registered voters casting a ballot, followed by Carson City at 14.4 percent and 3,436 casting ballots.

If history is any judge, Griffin said more people will vote early or by absentee ballot than in the primary election June 8. In the last general election, 55-60 percent of the total turnout was in absentee ballots or early voting, he said.

The lowest turnouts so far are in White Pine County at 4.1 percent and Eureka County at 4.9 percent.