ELKINS — County officials are preparing to offer early voting to residents before the June 9 state primary election, while following social distancing and sanitization guidelines.

Local courthouses will be open for early voting from May 27 to June 6 during normal business hours. On Saturday, May 30 and Saturday, June 6, early voting will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Randolph County will open for early voting from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

“There’s going to be two early voting locations; one at the library in Mill Creek and then here at the Weese Annex (of the Randolph County Courthouse),” said an employee of the Randolph County Clerk.

“I know that we’ll set the machines up six feet apart and only allow in the number of voters… for the number (of machines) that are set up,” she said. “We’ll have masks for the poll workers and gloves for the voters, as well as hand sanitizer on site.”

Both Upshur County and Tucker County will open early voting locations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

“We hold it here at the courthouse,” said Upshur County Clerk Carol Smith. “For early voting, they will have gloves and we will have masks available. Of course, they are not required to wear those. The poll workers will have masks, gloves and face shields.”

Smith will also be spacing the polling booths an appropriate distance to promote social distancing between voters, as will Sherry Simmons, county clerk for Tucker County.

In Tucker County, the early voting will take place at the Courthouse Annex.

“It is recommended (that visitors wear masks and gloves) but it is not required. We’re going to follow all of the guidelines to the best of our ability and just hope that everything goes as smooth as we plan it to be. We’ve had a great response for absentee voting and I’m sure we’ll have early voters,” Simmons said.

“County clerks and commissions are preparing to have supplies on hand to sanitize surfaces, objects, voting machines, etc. at the polls. Social distancing practices will be implemented at the polls during, under the guidance and regulations issued by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources,” the West Virginia Secretary of State website states.

For those who would rather not vote in person, the Secretary of State office is allowing all residents to apply for an absentee ballot if they choose.

Once the applications are returned, ballots will be sent directly to the resident in their homes.

If an individual chooses to reject the absentee ballot and is unavailable for early voting, polls will still open on June 9, Election Day.

The voting window is from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Election Day.

“If you are in line at the polling place at 7:30 p.m., you will be able to vote after the polls close. However, if you arrive at the polls after they close, you are not permitted to vote by law,” reads the website.

Any questions about the early voting procedures and changes that have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic should be directed to the local county clerks, the website states.