Voter turnout up in midterm

Published 6:27 pm Wednesday, November 7, 2018

LaFAYETTE — Almost half of registered voters in Chambers County took part in Tuesday night’s election, a large increase from primary elections earlier this year.

A total of 11,370 registered voters — or 46.79 percent — cast a ballot. Provisional ballots are also still to be counted early next week.

“It was a huge turnout,” said Probate Judge-elect Paul Story, who took 56.41 percent of the vote over incumbent Brandy Easlick Tuesday night. “The best mid-term election turnout that we’ve ever seen in the county.”

Email newsletter signup

Statewide numbers are largely the same, with 1,721,906 of the 3,457,572 registered voters, or 49.80 percent, voting around the state. This is up from the 2014 general election, which only saw 41 percent of Alabama voters take part, at the time the lowest participation in a non-presidential general election in over two decades, according to the Secretary of State website.

The local numbers largely reflected statewide results, with all except for the sheriff’s race going Republican.

A higher number of Chambers County Democrats voted straight party, with 57.49 percent voting that way comapred to Republicans’ 42.51 percent.

The 11,370 Chambers County voters favored Republican candidates for governor — Ivey, 59 percent — Lieutenant Governor  — Ainsworth, 58 percent — and attorney general — Marshall, 56.38 percent.