Teton County voters aren’t waiting for election day in November.

After just two days of absentee voting, the county clerk reported an enthusiastic start to the 2012 general election. The number of early votes and requests for absentee ballots could portend a big turnout for the presidential election next month.

“We’ve had more today than during the entire primary,” County Clerk Sherry Daigle said Thursday, the first day residents could cast absentee ballots for the general election.

About 90 citizens filled out ballots Thursday. Another 160 cast their votes Friday.

By the end of the week, staff from the clerk’s office had tallied 1,097 votes, cast either in person at the county administration building or in the form of requests for absentee ballots.

Nearly 850 ballots have been mailed to voters around the globe, including Afghanistan, Ireland and South Africa. Many ballots sent overseas are going to service members. 

“They’re the ones who are doing the work on the ground,” Daigle said. “They’re the ones who are really affected by a lot of the federal laws.”

In 2008, residents cast about 3,500 absentee ballots, the staff at the clerk’s office said.

At the time of August’s primary vote, Teton County had 10,666 registered voters, of whom 3,234 actually cast a ballot.

Presidential elections typically attract more voters, but this year’s ballot also has important county races.

Voters will elect two newcomers to the Jackson Town Council and could do the same on the Teton County Board of Commissioners. House District 22 will have a new representative this year.

Voters will also decide whether to fund cleanup efforts at the Horsethief Canyon landfill, a land purchase from the U.S. Forest Service and a pathway between town and the west bank.

Voters can cast ballots Monday through Friday at the Teton County Clerk’s office, 200 S. Willow St. The downstairs polling location will be open until Nov. 5.

Additionally, county staffers can mail ballots to residents. Anyone interested in having a ballot mailed to them can make the request in person at the clerk’s office, over the phone or via mail or email.

The clerk’s office can be reached at 733-7733 or at elections@tetonwyo.org. The address is P.O. Box 1727, Jackson, WY 83001.

Additional information about voter registration, polling locations and absentee voting can be found at Tetonwyo.org/cc.

See this season’s election coverage collected on the Jackson Hole News&Guide website:

http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/election.php