Early voting ends this week for the Palmhurst special mayoral race, but the Hidalgo County Elections Office says participation has so far been minimal.

Four candidates are on the ballot for the special election, which occurred after the late mayor Ramiro Rodriguez was re-elected in May.

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The Hidalgo County Elections Department said that out of the more than 1,700 registered voters in Palmhurst, only 324 people have voted in the special election as of Tuesday morning. 

Roughly 570 voters participated in the previous election.

“It's one thing to register, it's another to actually go out, get out, and vote,” Hidalgo County Elections Department Assistant Director Hilda Salinas said. “The voters have to vote.”

The Hidalgo County Elections Department said they're not sure why participation is down. However, they usually see voter turnout slightly increase towards the end of early voting.

Early voting in the special election ends Friday, Aug. 5.