Voter Turnout Light in BernCo

Voter turnout in the June 5 primary election is well behind the pace from 2008, Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver said this morning.

The puzzling part is that participation in early voting is up, but absentee balloting is down compared to this point four years ago, she said.

Early voting is up about 35 percent, Oliver said, and absentee balloting is down about 60 percent.

Less interest on the Republican side could be a factor, she said. Democrats have a competitive race in the 1st Congressional District to drive participation, but top-of-ticket Republican campaigns aren’t drawing as much attention.

I’ll have more on the numbers, some tips for voting on Election Day and other information in tomorrow’s paper.