Trending
WHEELING -- The first day of early voting in West Virginia was a busy one in Northern Panhandle counties as all reported unexpectedly high turnout numbers.
At 4 p.m. Wednesday, Hancock County reported 192 had voted and that a long line of voters still remained. Polls closed there at 4:30 p.m.
"We had a great turnout today," elections clerks Jeanne Ostrander said. "We weren't sure whether we would have a high turnout, but we were getting a high volume of phone calls with questions. We were hoping to have a lot of people because early voting for the primary election was really slow."
There were more than 30 people lined up outside the doors of the City-County Building in Wheeling when the doors to early voting in Ohio County opened at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Once inside, voters stood in line socially distanced outside the voting area on the first floor of the City-County Building. At times on Wednesday, the line reached all the way down the hall past the water department offices, according to Toni Chieffalo, coordinator of elections.
"No, I didn't expect this," Chieffalo said. "I thought it would be busy, but it has been non-stop since we opened up.
"It seems everybody wants to vote this time. It's an important election."
By the end of the day on Wednesday, 472 had cast ballots in Ohio County -- about one per minute during the eight hour day.
In Marshall County, voters started to line up as early as 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, said County Clerk Jan Pest. The doors opened to voting there at 8:30 a.m.
By 8:45, 33 ballots had already been cast, she said.
The line of voters in Marshall County is being asked to wait outside the courthouse, with no more than eight being allowed into the voting area at a time.
"We had a very, very busy morning," Pest said. "I knew we were going to be busy when I saw the line all the way back to the monument on the courthouse lawn. I knew we would be busy. But I didn't anticipate this."
As of 3:30 p.m., more than 300 had early voted in Marshall County.
Other counties reported high voting totals by late afternoon.
Brooke County reported around 319 early voters; Tyler County, 123; and Wetzel County, more than 150.
Face coverings are required inside of polling places pursuant to the Governor's Executive Order 50-20. Certain exceptions do apply to those with medical conditions, according to information provided by the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office.
Hand sanitizer will be available at the polls., and poll workers have been provided with masks, face shields and gloves.
No person may be turned away from the polls, the information states.
However, voters who do not follow the governor's mandate may be asked to wear a face-covering while near others inside the polling place, or otherwise vote at a location within the polling place that is a safe distance away from others.
Before going to the polls, West Virginia voters should remember to bring proper ID. Among those accepted are voter registration cards, a driver's licence, birth certificate, West Virginia hunting or fishing license, bank card, utility bill or any document issued by the state or federal government displaying the voter's name.
Early polling sites will be open during the following hours in these local counties:
¯ Brooke County -- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and on Saturdays.
¯ Hancock County -- 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
¯ Marshall County -- 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
¯ Ohio County -- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and on Saturdays.
¯ Tyler County -- 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
¯ Wetzel County -- 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and on Fridays. Thursday hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(King can be contacted at jking@theintelligencer.net.)