Early voting ends with total expected to pass 165,000

Early voting wrapped up Friday evening leaving Nevada's 17 county clerks to prepare for the Election Day rush Tuesday.

Final figures for most Nevada counties weren't available Friday evening. In most counties, the polls didn't close until 6 p.m. with a couple considering remaining open until 8 p.m.

But through Thursday, about 145,700 had cast their ballots in races from governor and attorney general to city and county posts. Susan Bilyeu, elections deputy for the Secretary of State's office, said the final day of early voting is always heaviest. She expected the total after Friday's ballots are added in to be between 165,000 and 170,000.

That compares with 206,513 in the 2000 general elections, but that election cycle featured a close race for U.S. president, which drew a record number of Nevadans -- and Americans -- to the polls.

Few consider Gov. Kenny Guinn's challengers to have any chance of unseating him a theory that is drawing few people to the polls.

Bilyeu said 165,000 would be a good early voting turnout for a non-presidential election year.

"I'm very pleased with it," Bilyeu said of the turnout.

Clerks around the state have said they expect early voting to be nearly half the total turnout for the election.

In Carson City, the final day drew 835, bringing the total cast in the capital to 6,301. There are 22,642 registered to vote in Carson City.

The ballots cast, in all Nevada counties, will remain sealed until the polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. At that point, they will be the first ballots counted across the state.

Carson City Clerk Alan Glover said the early voting totals have proven a very reliable indicator of how most races will turn out.

As of Thursday, nearly 117,000 had turned out in Clark County. There are 547,854 registered to vote in Clark.

Probably the poorest percentage turnout was recorded in Washoe County where, with one day remaining, only 9,412 out of 185,792 registered voters had gone to the polls.

Douglas, which operated a number of mobile voting stations during the two-week early voting period to ensure residents in all parts of the county had access, early voting turnout was 3,884 out of 23,443 at the close of business Thursday.

The final totals will be available Monday.

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Election 2002

-- Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday

-- Carson City election polls are at the Community Center, 851 E. William St., and Carson Mall, 1313 S. Carson St. Voters should check their sample ballot for their precincts and polling places.