Early voting starts Tuesday; four polling locations to be open on Election Day
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020 — Early voting for the November election will begin Tuesday at the main branch of the Nelson County Public Library.
Election machines will be set up in the large meeting room at the south end of the library building. Signs will be posted to help voters locate the polling location at the library.
Due to the Coronovirus pandemic, the county will have 3-1/2 weeks of in-person early voting at the library. There will be no early voting at the Nelson County Clerk’s Office. The library polls will be staffed by poll workers while the polls are open each day.
EARLY VOTING HOURS. The polls will be open at the main branch of the public library for early voting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The polls will be open later on Thursdays — 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The polls will also be open on Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon.
ABSENTEE VOTING. The deadline to request an absentee ballot was midnight last Friday, Oct. 9th. If you have requested a ballot, it will take several days for you to receive the ballot.
Nelson County Clerk Jeanette Sidebottom is urging those who vote by mail to return their ballots as soon as possible due to the large numbers of people who are expected to vote by mail.
If you have an absentee ballot or expect to get one, you have more than one option for sending your ballot to the county clerk’s office.
BY MAIL. The outer envelope for your absentee ballot is a postage-paid envelope. You can simply complete your ballot and drop it in the mail — but be aware that your ballot needs to be postmarked by the end of Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, in order to be counted.
DROP BOX. Individuals who vote by absentee ballot may also take their completed ballots to the Nelson County Clerk’s Office and place your completed ballot in the secure drop box located on the front of the building.
Deputy Clerk Cathy Marks said it is important that absentee voters sign their envelopes in the two areas that are highlighted by color marker. Marks said that if you accidentally rip off the tab on the envelope, to write a note that you did so and include the note and the tap in with your ballot.
If you have questions about how to properly complete your absentee ballot, call the Nelson County Clerk’s Office, (502) 348-1820, option 7.
ELECTION DAY VOTING. The polls on Election Day, Nov. 3rd, will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be four polling locations open for in-person voting on Election Day:
- Bloomfield Middle School
- New Haven Middle School
- the Nelson County Public Library main branch
- the Nelson County Fairgrounds, where voters will have the choice of drive-thru voting or traditional walk-in voting.
Nelson County residents will be able to vote at any of the four locations, Sidebottom said. Each election location will have the ballots on hand for voters from all the county’s precincts, so voters will not be restricted to which polling location they wish to use on Election Day.
The electronic voter signature books used at all four polling locations will identify the proper ballot voters will receive. The ballot they receive is dependent on their home address, she said.
The four locations will close at 6 p.m., though voters who are in line at 6 p.m. will still be able to cast their votes.
TWO-SIDED BALLOT. Sidebottom wants voters to be aware that the November election ballot is a two-sided ballot. The candidates for office are on one side, and two constitutional amendments are on the back. She urged voters to do their homework regarding the constitutional ballots prior to casting their votes.
For answers to your election questions call the Nelson County Clerk’s election office, (502) 348-1820, option 7.
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