Rick Santorum's departure from the Republican presidential primaries are expected to significantly lower voter turnout and change the odds for local candidates still searching for votes.

"We would expect there to be less people interested in the race," said McMurry political science professor, Dr. Paul Fabrizio. "However this creates an opportunity for all the other candidates on the ballot to step up their game."

Fabrizio said that candidates facing the incumbent could have a better chance because their name will be easier to notice without a national competition taking the spotlight. But he added that it could equally hurt them because it will be harder to get people into the voting booth at all.

"Unfortunately, less people vote in the elections that matter the most to our day to day life," said Fabrizio.

Taylor County won't be the only place short of voters. Fabrizio said there will be a less conservative turnout across the board because they were strong supporters of Santorum. That factor will not greatly effect the Big Country because it already has a largely conservative leaning population.

A full list of voting locations can be found here: http://www.taylorcountytexas.org/polling.html