Seventy of Tyrrell County’s 2,413 registered voters had cast their ballots by mid-morning Monday, Debbie Swain, elections director, reported April 23.

Early voting continues through May 5 in the courthouse in Columbia. The elections office is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through May 4, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, for early voting.

The total number of registered voters in the county is 2,413, with 1,384 of them allied with the Democratic Party, 354 Republicans, 10 Libertarians, and 665 unaffiliated.

Four years ago the registered total was 2,490, and in 2016 it was 2,442.

The racial composition of Tyrrell’s electorate is changing. Shown below are the current figures, with the 2014 equivalents in parentheses: 779 (829) black, 1,527 (1,584) white, 7 (7) American Indian, 18 (15) Asian, 4 (4) multi-race, 44 (34) other, and 34 (17) undesignated.

Females continue to outnumber males among registered voters. Total females now (and in 2014): 1,277 (1,335), total males 1,116 (1,137), and undesignated 20 (18).

Registered voters by precinct at present are: Alligator 211, Columbia 1,426, Gum Neck 194, Kilkenny, 61, Scuppernong 483, and South Fork 31.