Tomorrow is the last day Tennessee residents can take advantage of early voting for the 2016 Presidential election.
So far during the early voting period turnout has been high and state and local officials have said the turnout could prove record breaking.
On a day-for-day count of early voting turnout, Carter County Administrator of Elections Tracy Harris said turnout has been around 1,500 higher than during the two previous Presidential elections in 2012 and 2008. The voter turnout in 2008 set local turnout records, she said.
As of the end of the day on Oct. 31, a total of 8,616 voters had appeared in person to cast their ballots early, Harris said. Added to that are 512 absentee and nursing home ballots for a total voter turnout so far of 9,128.
“It has been awesome,” Harris said of local voter turnout, adding the average turnout Monday through Friday has been around 900 voters. The two Saturdays during the early voting period — Oct. 22 and Oct. 29 — also saw high numbers with 399 voters and 488 voters respectively, Harris said.
Lines had slowed down on Monday with only 698 voters in person at the polls but Harris said she feels more voters will turn out on Thursday with that being the final day of early voting.
So far during early voting, election officials have encountered no technical issues, but Harris said they have spoken with several voters who voiced concerns regarding whether or not their vote would count and voter fraud. She said many voters cited media reports from around the country regarding voting machines malfunctioning and not counting all the votes.
“We do not use the SmartMatic machines,” Harris said. “Those are the ones that are supposed to be having problems.
“We use the MicroVote Infinity machines,” she added. “Our voting machines are not hooked into the Internet or a computer.”
The Election Commission Office has been receiving a lot of requests for address changes recently as voters check to make sure their registrations are up to date. Harris said she recommends voters check and update their registration status and address prior to Election Day so they will have an easier time casting their ballots at the polls. She also recommends that anyone who filed a change of address for their voter registration through the Department of Safety when they renewed their driver’s license to check to make sure their address change was received by the Election Commission just as a precaution.
Voters can check their registration status by contacting the Carter County Election Commission Office at 423-542-1822, online by visiting www.GoVoteTN.com, or through the smart phone app GoVoteTN which is available for free to Android and iPhone users.
Early voting continues today (Nov. 2) and Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Carter County Election Commission Office located at 116 Holston Ave., across from the Carter County Health Department. Early voting is from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Voters already in line at 4 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
If the parking lot at the Election Commission Office is full, Harris asked voters to use the parking lot for First Baptist Church located at the corner of Holston Avenue and East G Street. Voters are asked to not park in the lot for the Health Department.