Hays County party primary turnout, 2010 to 2014

As of the last day of early voting on Friday, 3,692 people cast GOP ballots, four times the 923 who voted four years ago in the most recent non-presidential election year. Democrats, too, are voting at higher rates than they did in 2010. During early voting in Hays County, 1,213 people voted in the Democratic Party primary, 42 percent more than the 701 who cast ballots in 2010.

Election Day for both major parties’ primaries is Tuesday, March 4. Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 30 locations around the county.

In the March primaries, voters choose the parties’ nominees for the general election in November. But with Democrats running in only three of 11 countywide offices on the ballot this cycle, Tuesday’s results will determine who will hold significant offices for the next four years, most notably, that of Hays County District Attorney.

Participation in the Republican Party primary, in fact, is so far only five percent less than in 2012, upending the typical pattern of a significant drop in voter interest during election years that lack the energy of a presidential race. By comparison, Republican primary participation dropped from 2,704 in 2008 to 923 two years later in 2010.

Download: Sample ballots

► Sample Republican Party Primary Ballot | March 2014

► Sample Democratic Party Primary Ballot March 2014