A wave of voters has been drawn to the polls in West Virginia by the tight Senate race pitting Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin against Republican businessman John Raese to fill the seat formerly held by the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd for more than 50 years.
Another indication of heightened voter interest in West Virginia: A record number of people cast ballots in early voting. From mid-October through Nov. 1, 108,212 votes had been cast, nearly double the 67,000 early votes cast in 2006, according to the Secretary of State’s office. The total this year was a record for a midterm election since the state introduced early voting in 2002.
Nearly 58,000 registered Democrats voted early, compared with about 38,000 registered Republicans, in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by roughly two to one.
Republicans need this one if they want to get to ten.
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