According to an article in today’s Gazette , a very small fraction of the state voters took advantage of the early voting option for the primary elections.  The early voting process cost millions to implement.

When the polls closed Wednesday night, 1.87 percent of the state’s 3.2 million eligible primary voters had voted early, according to the state Board of Elections. Data for Thursday’s turnout were not available by deadline.

Predictions had been that as many as 20 percent of eligible voters would vote early in some way — either through absentee ballot or at the polls, said Ross Goldstein, deputy administrator at the state Board of Elections.

The primary election is Sept. 14. Early voting began Sept. 3.

A larger turnout is anticipated for early voting for the General election in November.