Early voting is set to begin in West Virginia next week, and officials want Greenbrier Countians to know that their votes are secure.
Secretary of State Natalie Tennant was in Greenbrier County Wednesday, spreading the word that now is the time to get educated about local candidates.
“It’s been a rough campaign for voters,” Tennant said, alluding to the presidential race which has dominated headlines and divided the country for the past year. “But down ballot candidates are important, even if you’re tired of hearing about it.”
The impacts of local elections are easily felt, Tennant said, and voters must educate themselves, especially since this year marks the first time West Virginia voters will not be able to vote a straight ticket.
“Give yourself a little more time to vote and to research,” she said.
Tennant also stressed that her office is dedicated to ensuring that election results are monitored for fairness. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has recently indicated that he believes the election is going to be “rigged” in favor of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, statements that Tennant, a Democratic candidate for reelection herself, finds “irresponsible.”
“There is no evidence that election fraud is being committed,” she said. “There are 9,000 dedicated poll workers in the state, who would all have to be in cahoots to commit a widespread fraud. It would take a heck of a lot of collusion between poll workers to pull that off,” she said, adding that the number of West Virginia poll workers in every precinct are divided evenly between the Republican and Democratic parties. “This is serious, and poll workers take it seriously.”
As absentee ballots start rolling in, she and others in her office are tracking them. So far, she said, there is no indication that the number of absentee ballots have “ballooned” suspiciously. “There’s nothing out of the norm,” she said.
“We have people monitoring the election all over the state. Machines are being tested now. Voting machines are not connected to the internet or to each other.” Tennant reminds voters to check the paper receipt that prints out after they vote on electronic machines to make sure that their votes have been cast correctly.
Local county clerk Robin Loudermilk is preparing for the election, as well, and battling some rumors of her own. Last week, a post was made by the city of Lewisburg on its Facebook page telling voters that if their addresses had been changed via the 911 address changes, then they would have to get a new voter registration card by Oct. 18 or cast a provisional ballot.
This is not true, Loudermilk said. If you have not changed residences, then your precinct is still the same and you will be able to vote as normal. She does recommend, however, that you update your voter registration card after the election.
Early voting starts on Oct. 26 and ends on Nov. 5. In Greenbrier County, early voters can cast their ballots at the Greenbrier County Courthouse, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and at the Rupert Community Building Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
