WV Election…Great Turnout Predicted

{Charleston, West Virginia}…Tuesday, county courthouses will likely be the busiest buildings in West Virginia with the 2012 general election focusing not only on the race for president, but also the race for the state senate and governor, along with many challenged county races across the state. A number of those races are for county sheriff. West Virginia Association of Counties Executive Director Patti Hamilton says there will be new sheriffs elected in 31 counties. She says the two-term term limit stopped current sheriffs from running again. One question West Virginia voters will face is whether the existing two-term limit for county sheriffs should be lifted. There are also races for county commission, prosecutor, assessor and magistrate. Hamilton says large crowds will gather at county courthouses Tuesday night where the votes will be counted. She says, even though technology has improved that part of the election, the night hasn't changed. Hamilton says the snow left behind by Hurricane Sandy has created a number of issues in several counties, but that’s not enough to keep several voters away from the polls. Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick says the early voting turnout was very good. Despite the weather, the total early voting number for West Virginia was 111,914.