Table Games: Hancock County

The Wheeling newspapers have been tracking early voting in advance of Hancock County's special election Saturday on the table games question.

About 1,000 residents have already cast ballots, or about 4.6 percent of registered voters. Early voting ends Wednesday.

"One of the reasons behind the increase in early voters in Hancock County is the bus service Mountaineer (Race Track and Gaming Resort in Chester) is providing to the community," the Sunday News-Register reported. "The track is not only providing a shuttle service for its employees, but also for community members who don’t have a method of transportation."

Jefferson and nearby Ohio counties both saw early voting by more than 10 percent of their registered voters before the split decisions in their June 9 special elections.

Kanawha County also plans to hold early voting before its special balloting on Aug. 11.

The Associated Press, meanwhile reports that slot machines _ like the video lottery terminals hosted by West Virginia's four tracks _ "have done nothing to attract more people to horse racing" (and I suppose that would apply to dog racing as well).