Graphic by Noah Dawson for The Amarillo Pioneer

With early voting in the November 8th midterm having concluded on Friday, our election team has crunched party affiliation numbers of early voting ballots. We also looked at the data as it stood halfway through early voting, and we will be comparing the two sets of data to see how the landscape has changed.

Randall County

When we last looked at the data, 49% of ballots cast had been by those who participated in the Republican primary, with 26% having voted in the Republican runoff. On the Democratic side, 5% had voted in the primary and 1% voted in the runoff. Also, as of the halfway point through early voting, 46% had not voted in either primary or runoff.

As of the end of early voting, there had been 32,922 votes cast, up from 17,880 at the halfway point. The turnout share by primary participation had fallen for both parties, with a majority of 55% having voted in neither party’s primary or runoff. Still, Republican primary voters hold a large lead over Democratic primary voters.

When we last looked at the data, we predicted a turnout of 38,400 votes. We’ve slightly adjusted that figure up to 38,600.

Potter County

When we last looked at the data for Potter, 47% of ballots cast had been by those who participated in the Republican primary, with 23% having voted in the Republican runoff. On the Democratic side, 8% had voted in the primary and 3% voted in the runoff. Also, as of the halfway point through early voting, 45% had not voted in either primary or runoff.

As of the end of early voting, there had been 13,529 votes cast, up from 7,571 at the halfway point. The turnout share for Republican primary and runoff voters had fallen, with a majority of 54% having voted in neither party’s primary or runoff. Still, while the share of Republican primary voters fell and the share of Democratic primary voters had not, Republican primary voters still hold a large lead over Democratic primary voters.

When we last looked at the data, we predicted a turnout of 18,000 votes. We’ve slightly adjusted that figure up to 19,400, bolstered by a high turnout on the last day of early voting.

Potter County Precinct 2

With hotly contested local races in Potter County Precinct 2 for Justice of the Peace and County Commissioner, we are also taking a look at this precinct.

When we last looked at the data for Precinct 2, 33% of ballots cast had been by those who participated in the Republican primary, with 15% having voted in the Republican runoff. On the Democratic side, 12% had voted in the primary and 4% voted in the runoff. Also, as of the halfway point through early voting, 55% had not voted in either primary or runoff.

As of the end of early voting, the turnout share by primary participation had fallen for both parties, with a substantial majority of 61% having voted in neither party’s primary or runoff. While Republican primary voters hold a large lead over Democratic primary voters, it is still far closer than either Potter or Randall counties as a whole.

If you’ve been waiting until election day to cast your ballot, be sure to check out our voter guide. Remember to check AmarilloPioneer.com on election night for coverage of the results as they come in.