Nearly half of Wharton County’s registered voters had already participated in early voting or mailed in ballots for the Nov. 5 general election by Friday’s close of early polls. With 12,121 electronic ballots cast and 365 mail-ins, turnout hit 47.27% among 26,416 registered voters. El Campo saw 5,293 voters, Wharton had 5,056, and East Bernard recorded 1,772. Elections Administrator Cindy Richter reported strong participation, possibly breaking the 2016 record of 59%. Polls are open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with photo ID required.