Early voting numbers show higher turnout than previous primary elections

FARGO — It’s election day tomorrow in North Dakota and the state has just released the number of voters that took part in early voting last week.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, over 14,000 people took part in early voting in Cass County.

Over 36,000 early votes were cast statewide.

That is not counting absentee and mail-in ballots.

Counting those, the total number of votes cast so far this election is over 100,000.

Cass County’s finance director says that this primary has seen a larger turnout than usual.

One change this election for mail-in ballots is that ballots that reach the office after 7p.m. on election day won’t be counted where previously they were so long as they were postmarked before the election.

“Prior to this election, if you got your ballot in and postmarked the day before the election, it would still be counted at canvassing,” said Cass County Finance Director Sarah Heinle. “Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore, and we have been putting out news about that as well to our trainers, and everyone else out at the polling locations that it now has to be received in our office by 7p.m.”

Heinle says anyone who still has a mail-in ballot to hand it in at a secure drop box, like the one in front of the Cass County Courthouse and not to mail them at this time. Election Day for the June Primary is on Tuesday.

Updated numbers for absentee, mail-in, and early voting can be found here.

Primary election results will be available here.