More than 700 people cast early ballots this year at Del Mar College’s Heldenfels Administration Building, a steep increase from previous primary elections.
Some 718 people voted early at DMC this year, while another 122 came out on Election Day, according to the Nueces County clerk’s website. In the previous two primaries when there was a presidential nomination up for grabs, Del Mar did not have nearly as many people voting. In 2012, 37 people voted at Del Mar, but much of that was probably due to the fact that the primary voting in Texas did not take place until May 29 of that year, and there are few students at Del Mar toward the end of May. In 2008, when the primary election was on March 4, Del Mar saw 185 people come out and vote early.
Nueces County voting totals saw an increase in the amount of ballots cast in 2016 compared with 2012, with 51,452 people voting, as opposed to only 21,108 voters in 2012. This could be because President Barack Obama was the incumbent and not as many people went out to vote. For the 2008 election, 63,831 cast ballots, 12,000 more than the amount who voted in this year’s primary elections.
