As early voting wrapped up Saturday, Hamilton County election officials noticed voters were picking up Republican ballots at a ratio of 5-to-1.

Charlotte Mullis-Morgan, the elections administrator, ordered 15,000 more for Thursday's county general and state primary.

Richard Wilson, a professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said that's a sign of trouble ahead for local Democrats running in county races.

"It's a grave danger for Democrats," he said.

But Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Brown said the numbers are misleading.

"I don't think that's an accurate representation of the numbers," Brown said. "All of the local candidates are on the ballot no matter which one you pull."

Brown is himself a candidate against incumbent Republican Register of Deeds Pam Hurst.

For complete details, read tomorrow's Times Free Press.