Early votng was strong in Forsyth

Forsyth officials say the county posted healthy totals during the early voting period leading up to the Nov. 4 election, with the final week seeing a sharp rise.

Voter Registrations and Elections Supervisor Barbara Luth says almost 23,000 residents cast early ballots, a percentage point or two more than in the 2010 off-year elections. She says the third week’s total more than tripled the tally for the first two. Luth also says out of almost 2000 mail ballots sent out, more than 1,600 have already been returned.

The elections chief says the 2014 increase may be due to the attention given some top-of-the-ballot races, plus an expansion of voting hours during the final week. She says her office will be analyzing the figures.