CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- A record number of West Virginians have cast early ballots for a primary in advance of Tuesday's election.

Secretary of State Betty Ireland reports 49,982 ballots cast in 52 of West Virginia's 55 counties between April 23rd and today. Ireland's office says another 4,916 absentee ballots have been returned.

The numbers likely result from the Democratic presidential campaigns' increasing focus on the state. But officials in some counties also say they had expected even higher turnouts.

About 71 percent of early voters have been Democrats, who outnumber Republicans in the state by nearly 2-to-1. The majority party invited unaffiliated voters into its primary for the first time this year. About 6.2 percent of the early voters have been independents or nonpartisans.

Early voting ends Saturday.

West Virginia adopted early voting in 2002.