More Than 78,000 Vote Early In W.va. Election

By Jonathan Mattise The Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Almost 78,300 voters have cast ballots so far in West Virginia before Election Day, marking what appears to be the first decrease in early votes in a midterm election since early voting began here in 2002.However, the total is still growing, and early voting is set to end Saturday.As of Friday morning, about 73,800 people voted early and approximately 4,500 others returned absentee ballots for the midterm election, according to the secretary of state's office.