Officials say morning voter turnout encouraging

Area circuit clerks said the Tuesday morning voting turnout was strong along the Coast.

The polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.

Harrison County Circuit Clerk Connie Ladner said she had been out in the field most of the morning, and she was encouraged by what she had seen.

"Everything is going smoothly," she said. "We had a good turnout early this morning and then it slowed down. We expect to have a big push during the lunch hour."

One potential problem in Harrison County was moving the D'Iberville precinct from the community center to the multi-purpose center next door. Harrison County road department employees were on hand Tuesday morning to direct voters into the proper building.

Jackson County Circuit Clerk Randy Carney said morning voting had been soild.

"I think it's going well," he said. "I know when I went and voted this morning that my polling spot was really busy and it's one of the larger precincts. Judging from the phone calls we've had, I think it's going to be a busy day."

Hancock County circuit clerk officials said the morning turnout had been "fair."

The Sun Herald will update this story throughout the day.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Officials say morning voter turnout encouraging ."