The first two days of early voting in the 7th District Special Election for the congressional seat vacated by former Republican congressman Mark Green have been relatively slow for both the Republican and Democratic fields of candidates. However, based upon the first two days of turnout, some political analysts are increasing their prediction of total voter turnout. Initially, many had speculated that the total vote in each primary would likely be less than 25,000 votes. Some are now increasing their estimate to 40- 45,000 votes, at least in the Republican primary where eleven candidates are seeking the nomination.
In the first two days of early voting, 2,665 Republicans cast votes in the 14 counties that make up the congressional district. Meanwhile, 2,117 Democrats cast ballots.
The primary election date is Oct. 7, and voter turnout may increase in some counties as satellite voting locations open up during the next few weeks.
