Essex County: big.

(Given the conditions, namely an election almost nobody knows about).

It composes about 40% of CD-11 and it's performing on Election Day, according to Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin.

"Essex by percentage of votes has the highest election day turnout of any county in the state and it's showing right now," said Durkin. "The turnout is very strong. It's exceeding expectations of what we thought it would be."

No one thought people would get out of their armchairs on a frigid Thursday in February.

But Essex County's Election Day votes were pushing 12K by 5 p.m.

What does it mean?

Well, Morris sources who saw flatter turnout over there in a part of the district that hovers around 50% of the total districtwide vote noted that people vote early and vote by mail.

But it's still way off of what Essex posted so far.

In a head-to-head Brendan Gill (Essex) versus Tom Malinowski (Morris) matchup, today's Election Day numbers might cause people to conclude a Gill edge.

But with 11 candidates in the race, it's difficult to draw a hard and fast conclusion.

Malinowski has pockets of support in Essex, too.

Gill has the backing of the county party organization, but Analilia Mejia claims the support of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who won Essex in last year's gubernatorial primary.

For her part, Tahesha Way, the former lieutenant governor, slammed the airwaves over the past two weeks, upping her own name ID and trying to scuff up perceived frontrunner Malinowski in the process.

Is her campaign penetrating?