(The McDowell News) Since the polls for early voting opened last week, the turnout has been considerable. County election officials predict this could be the biggest turnout yet for one-stop, early voting in McDowell.
“It’s been quite large, very busy,” said Elections Director Kim Welborn. “I think it’s going to set a record.”
On Thursday of last week, the one-stop voting in McDowell started at the County Commission’s boardroom at the County Administration Building in Marion, the Old Fort library at 65 E. Mitchell St. and the historic McDowell House located on U.S. 70 West.
As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, 2,950 people have voted at all three locations. The busiest of the three has been the commission boardroom in the County Administration Building. At times, folks have waited in line in the hallway before they could go into the boardroom and make their choices for their leaders. The longest amount of time that people have had to wait has been 15 minutes.
Welborn said the turnout so far easily exceeds the kind of turnout for early voting in 2008, which was also a presidential election year.
Four years ago, voters did not have to wait more than a few minutes to cast their ballots at the early, one-stop voting places. In 2008, election officials said people did not have to endure any more than a five-minute wait. At that time, McDowell also had three places for early voting.
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