Numbers game

When Ector County voters leave their election precincts, they receive a tiny sticker that declares “I voted” to wear on their chests.

The election administration is making sure it has more than the normal amount of those stickers Tuesday when Texas holds its primary because local administrators and election leaders across the state are preparing for record voting totals.

“This is going to be wild,” Ector County Elections Administrator Mitzi Scheible said.

With Democrat presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama dueling for their party’s nomination, record numbers of early voters have gone to the polls here in Ector County and across the state.

By Thursday, 2,683 voters had cast their Democratic ballot. That was still about 1,200 fewer voters than on the Republican side, but Democrats have typically been outnumbered 10-1 in early voting. So far the party has picked up 41 percent of the local vote.

After two weeks of early voting, 826 more Democrats casting early ballots than who chose among Democratic candidates in 2004, the last presidential primary.

“This whole presidential thing has been a real shot in the arm not only for the state but also the local Democratic Party,” Ector County Democratic Party chair John Wilkins said.

Across the state, Secretary of State Phil Wilson expects a record turnout of 26 percent of registered voters, he announced, with about 3.3 million voters casting a ballot. The record primary turnout is 2.7 million voters in 1988.

“The number of voters participating in the Texas primaries is greater than anything we’ve seen before,” Wilson said.

Scheible said Ector County’s election staff will be normal on Tuesday, but each precinct will have more supplies to accommodate the expected rush. Four trouble-shooters will be making rounds to the precincts. Smaller elections typically have two roving workers.

“I’m ready,” Scheible said.

There may also be a late Democratic run to the voting booths on Tuesday as voters try to cast their primary ballot near the end of the day but close enough to the precinct convention that follows so they can vote again for their Democratic candidate in the convention.

The second vote is within the party and not cast at the polling place.

Both presidential candidates have been reminded Texas voters throughout the campaign about the Democrat’s precinct conventions that follow the primary and account for 35 percent of the delegates awarded.

Some Republicans have been crossing over to vote Democratic, Republican Party County Chairman Shane Marler and Wilkins speculated.

For local Republicans, Marler believes there’s a bigger draw in the Republican races for county attorney and District 81 state representative. Still, he said he’s heard of Republicans voting for Clinton because they believe she’s more beatable in November than Obama.

“The Clintons bring a lot of baggage and a lot of history,” he said. “And she’s a polarizing figure basically.”

Voting Democratic as a Republican is shortsighted, Marler said, because a four-man race for state representative could go to a runoff. If it does, then only voters in the Republican primary can vote in the runoff.