By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
A steady stream of local citizens have been making their way to the Wood County Board of Elections daily for early voting.
As of Thursday, 7,595 Wood County residents had requested ballots by mail, and another 1,482 had been to the office to cast their ballots.
That’s not as many as the office saw during the presidential election in 2016, but it is more than the last mid-term election four years ago, said Terry Burton, director of the Wood County Board of Elections.
The total number of early voters in Wood County in 2014 was 7,990. In 2016 the number was 16,067. With 11 days to go, the early voting this year has already surpassed that of 2014.
Early voting is becoming the norm for many people.
And the local board of elections predicts the in-office early voting numbers will continue upward at a faster rate as the election nears.
“People are realizing the election is close,” Burton said.
Not only do voters get a little nervous about mailing their ballots too close to election day, but also, there will be extended voting hours in the Board of Elections office.
The extended voting hours are:
- Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Next week, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 3, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 4, from 1 to 5 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 5, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
No in-office voting is allowed on election day, Nov. 6.
The fact that early voting numbers are higher than for the mid-term four years ago does not come as a surprise to the local board of elections.
Burton tried to find the politically kind words, but ended up just saying that the state races in 2014 included a lot of incumbents and weren’t “overly competitive.”
This year, the races are a little more heated. Plus the Secretary of State’s Office mailed out early voting reminders to all voters.
The board of elections office is concerned about another mailer sent out by the state Republican party which stated that voters can turn in their absentee ballots at the polls.
That is not true, Burton said.
The ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5 or turned into the board of elections office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Any voter taking the absentee ballot to the polls will be advised to take it to the board of elections that day.
