Local elections officials across the state reported lower-than-usual turnout as of noon, says Ross Goldstein, deputy administrator of the state Board of Elections.
Goldstein said counties were reporting turnout ranging from 4 to 10 percent at that time. This matches what we've seen in the field and what candidates and their supporters have been saying all day: voters are MIA.
The 77,000 early votes account for 2.5 percent of the eligible electorate. Linda Lamone, state elections administrator, told The Sun yesterday that the nice weather and intense primary battles in some districts might actually drive up voter turnout slightly from previous gubernatorial primary years. She predicted about 32 percent. We don't appear to be anywhere close to that so far.
About 1,900 polls opened at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. Will there be a post-work rush? Stay tuned.