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ELKINS -- Early voting for Elkins' upcoming June 10 Municipal Election began this week.
Elkins voters from all five wards can cast early ballots at the modular building currently housing the City of Elkins Municipal Court on Fourth Street behind Elkins City Hall. Directional signs are posted on Davis Avenue and Fourth Street.
The early voting site is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m on Saturdays. Early voting ends on June 7.
Due to the early voting site not being wheelchair accessible, early voters with mobility issues have the option to vote curbside, according to a release from Elkins City Hall.
To utilize curbside voting, voters can park in the handicap parking spot directly next to the early voting building and ring the doorbell located on the stairwell. Poll workers will then assist the voter in following the curbside voting process, the city said.
City officials warned of a longer wait for curbside voting, however.
"We're ready to provide curbside voting assistance to anyone who needs it, but everyone needs to understand that state law imposes a few extra steps, so there may be a longer wait," Elkins City Clerk Sutton Stokes said in a press statement.
"Under state law, curbside voters must complete an absentee ballot application before they can be issued a ballot, which we will supply," he added.. Also, the election workers can only start the curbside voting process once there are no voters in the polling place.
"So, I would recommend allowing at least twenty minutes to complete the curbside voting process, starting when the poll workers first come out to your vehicle," Stokes noted.
Alternatively, voters with mobility issues can wait until Election Day on June 10 to vote when all five wards' polling places, which are all wheelchair accessible, will be open.
The polling places for the June 10 Election Day include:
* For First Ward, the Church of God Family Worship Center on 1402 Taylor Avenue;
* For Second Ward, the Mountain State Forest Festival Building on 101 Lough Street;
* For Third Ward, the Elkins Inn and Suites, Randolph Room on 1200 Harrison Avenue;
* For Fourth Ward, the Wees Annex on 32 Randolph Avenue;
* For Fifth Ward, the Old Brick Playhouse on 329 Davis Avenue.
Voters also have the option of voting with an absentee ballot by mail.
Absentee ballot applications for the June 10 election began being accepted on March 18. Applicants have until June 4 at 4 p.m. to send for an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots must be delivered by:
* June 9, the final day for hand delivery of absentee ballots to the Office of the Elkins City Clerk.
* June 11 for absentee ballots that arrive by mail but are not postmarked.
* June 16 for absentee ballots postmarked on or before election day.
Stokes also wanted to remind voters to have patience, as state and local laws require that poll workers follow detailed steps to ensure a secure election.
"Although our goal is to process every voter as quickly as possible, we aren't going to rush or cut corners," Stokes said in the release.
"I hope everyone will remember that voting is the very foundation of our democracy, so it is worth taking the time to get it right," he added.
Five of the 10 Elkins City Council seats are up for election this year.
The First Ward seat held by Rob Chenoweth, the Second Ward seat held by Lisa Severino, the Third Ward seat held by Erika Plishka, the Fourth Ward seat held by Nanci Bross-Fregonara and the Fifth Ward seat held by David Parker will all be on the ballot for the municipal election.
Council members serve four-year terms. All of the five council members have filed for re-election, and Chenoweth, Severino and Plishka are running unopposed.
Incumbent Bross-Fregonara faces a challenge in the Fourth Ward from Jon Clingerman, who teaches the mill and cabinetry high school program at the Randolph County Technical Center.
Incumbent Parker faces opposition in the Fifth Ward from challenger Burley Woods, who has served as the director of executive service for the Nellis Group Enterprise, and the director of internal sales for Legacy Elevated.
On the Fourth Ward ballot, challenger Clingerman will be listed first on the ballot, while Fregonara will be listed second.
On the Fifth Ward ballot, Parker will be first on the ballot, with challenger Woods being listed second.
There will be no race for mayor in the 2025 election, due to the 2021 charter change, which states that the mayor of Elkins now has a four-year term limit.
Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco's current term, which began July 1, 2023, will not expire until 2027.
For more information about the upcoming election, visit cityofelkinswv.com/2025-election.