Today is election day

There was a time when reporters and candidates mingled in the county clerk's office on election night waiting to find out the winners. Most people had to rely on television, the radio or wait until the next day's newspaper.

Tonight, anyone with a computer will be able to track ballots as they are counted over the World Wide Web.

Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer Barbara Reed said her office will be posting results as soon as they get them.

"We will be posting results on our Web site by precinct," she said. "They will be posted as they are coming off the counter."

The first results will be available not long after the polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Early voting and absentee ballots will be first into the hopper.

Carson City chief elections clerk Tammy Caldwell said her office will be posting results to the Secretary of State's Office's Web site.

"The first ones will come out at 7:05 p.m., that will be when early voting and absentee ballots will be out," she said.

As city ballot counters run out summaries, they will be posted on the state's Web site.

Lyon County Clerk Nikki Bryan said results from her county will also appear on the Secretary of State's Web page.

"We'll be posing results periodically through the night," she said. "We're not going to have a camera, but that's all."

While Storey County won't be posting its results directly to the Web, election officials will fax their results to the state office.

"We will have people on the phone up until the time we're done," said Sarah Jensen, deputy clerk treasurer.

While today is election day, more than 4,500 Western Nevada voters have already cast their ballots.

As of Friday afternoon, 3,027 voters cast their ballots in Carson City. Douglas has seen 1,500 voters and Reed said she expects to have around 1,600 voters by the end of business.

Turnout for today's primary election will probably vary depending on the race.

Reed said she expected about a 45 percent turnout.

There is only one local primary in Douglas County, a school board race. However, Gardnerville resident Richard Hamzik is challenging John Ensign, which may have some effect on the turnout.

"It's kind of a boring ballot, but I hope they prove me wrong," she said.

Carson may not have that problem, with hard-fought mayoral and supervisor campaigns. Caldwell said she's hoping for a good turnout for the primary.

Carson has automated casting ballots, so she anticipates voters will find the process pretty smooth.

"We used to have roster pull books that someone would have to sign," she said. "Now we have two computers we print a sheet out and have them sign it. It's a lot faster."

Lyon County has three judicial races in the primary. Two Justice of the Peace races in Dayton and Mason Valley are on the ballot, as well as a Lyon County district court.

In Storey County there is a commissioner race and a school board race.

Registered voters

Carson City - 21,209

Douglas County - 20,173

Lyon County - 16,825

Storey County - 2,568

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Results will be available on the Secretary of State's Web site at:

http://sos.state.nv.us/

Douglas County results will be available on the Clerk's Web site at:

www.cltr.co.douglas.nv.us