Midterm voter turnout up in Bowie, static in Miller

Voter turnout for this year’s election was up in Bowie County, Texas, and static in Miller County, Ark., compared with turnout for the previous midterm election four years ago.

In Bowie County, 28,273 people, 47.42 percent of registered voters, cast ballots. In Miller County, the total was 11,479 people, 42.27 percent of registered voters.

The figures, official totals published by the Texas and Arkansas secretaries of state, include early and absentee votes as well as those cast on Election Day.

The number of Bowie County voters increased 31 percent over 2014’s total, 21,532. Miller County turnout in 2014, 11,559, was virtually equal to this year’s.

In 2016’s presidential election, 34,602 Bowie County voters and 16,189 Miller County voters participated.

Statewide in Texas this year, turnout topped 52 percent of registered voters, totalling more than 8.3 million ballots cast. More than 891,000 Arkansans, almost 50 percent of registered voters, took part in the election.

The U.S. this year saw its highest turnout for a midterm election since 1966, according to a National Public Radio report citing figures from the United States Election Project.

More than 110 million Americans cast a ballot for their Congressional representative on Tuesday. That number represents more than 47 percent of the voting-eligible population, an increase over 36.7 percent in 2014 and 41 percent in 2010.