At the end of early voting on Friday, 11,709 Oconee County residents had cast a ballot, representing 42.5 percent of the county’s 27,530 active, registered voters.

Four years ago at the end of early voting, only 24.4 percent of the county’s then 22,526 active registered voters had participated, indicating final turnout for Tuesday’s election almost certainly will exceed by a considerable amount turnout four years ago.

Meanwhile, in Clarke County about a third of registered voters participated in early voting.

At the end of the tabulation in 2014, only 13,684 of Oconee County’s active, registered voters had cast a ballot, for a final turnout rate of 60.8 percent. In 2014, 40.1 of the votes cast were through early, in person voting.

Turnout this year seems more likely to approximate that of a presidential election year than an off year.

In 2016 in Oconee County, 85.1 percent of the active registered voters cast a ballot. Turnout had been 80 percent in 2012 and 84.4 percent in 2008.

For more, visit Oconee County Observations.