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Decision 2018: Bigger turnout expected in Washington Co. than 4 years ago

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — When the special election between Conor Lamb and Rick Saccone came down to absentee ballots last spring, Washington County took some heat when it initially said it wouldn't count absentee ballots until the next day.

With close to 2,700 absentee ballots already in for the 2018 midterm election, the county's expecting a much bigger turnout than four years ago.

Larry Spahr has 38 years on the job at the Washington County Board of Elections. With Election Day approaching, he's getting asked the same question daily.

Spahr said it's shaping up to be a record turnout.

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There are 141,000 registered voters in Washington County and 1,000 new voter registrations since Jan. 1, approximately half Republican and half Democratic.

“It's almost split, it's uncanny, neither party is surged ahead,” Spahr said.

But it's the absentee ballots that Spahr said lead elections officials to believe they will see a bigger turnout than normal for a midterm election.

They've already received 2,700 absentee ballots, which is 1,000 more than at this time in the 2014 election.

“It seems we are mimicking what is going on in other states where they have early voter capability and have record turnout,” Sparh said.