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ELKINS – Early voting numbers in Randolph County are up from the primary election in May, officials said, and more local residents are expected to visit polling places over the next three days, as the early voting period for the Nov. 3 General Election comes to an end.
With one week already in the books, Randolph County Clerk Karla Mahanes told The Inter-Mountain Wednesday that early voting at both of the county’s two locations, the Commission Annex in Elkins and the Russell Memorial Library in Mill Creek, have had a regular flow of visitors since the period began on Oct. 21.
“We have been steady at both locations just about every single day, which we are happy for because we like a good turnout,” Mahanes said. “And we had another good turnout again this morning.”
As of 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 2,117 voters had taken advantage of the early voting period in Randolph County, she pointed out. During the May primary, just 1,593 residents voted during the entire period.
“We have three days remaining and we are already way ahead of the May primary numbers,” Mahanes said. “By looking at the turnout and the numbers we’ve had from the start, it looks like people are going to come out and continue to vote all the way until the end.”
Early voting is scheduled for 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. both today and on Friday. On the final early voting day on Saturday, residents can visit either location in Elkins or Mill Creek from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
“A lot of people are busy throughout the week, so we typically see a bigger turnout on Saturdays,” Mahanes said. “I’m anticipating a lot more people coming out this Saturday since it’s everyone’s last chance to vote early.”
Mahanes said the County Clerk’s Office will continue to stay busy after the early voting period ends, as it prepares for the General Election on Tuesday.
“As soon as early voting is done, we will start preparing the evening for Election Day,” Mahanes said. “We get the poll books printed to go out to the precincts on election day. We get all the machines ready, packed up, and make sure all the supplies are in order for the supply people to pick up the day before the election. So we hit the ground running.”
Mahanes said voting on Election Day will run from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. She added that residents who typically vote at North Elementary School in Highland Park (precincts 80 and 160) can now cast their ballots at Elkins High School.
For more information or questions about the election, call the Randolph County Clerk’s Office at 304-636-0543.