Early voting begins across the state
Hillary Clinton supporter holds a sign that reads
More voters cast early ballots in Forsyth County
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Early voting is seeing a slight increase this election year as thousands of residents have already cast their ballots for the 2016 election.
Voting records show the first and last day are usually the busiest days during early voting.
Numbers show 1,566 people voted on the first day polls opened last Thursday, Oct. 20. In 2012 1,552 people voted on the first day of early voting.
For the first time, the county is offering an app that shows how long the wait will be. The wait time for the majority of the day topped 30 minutes. Forsyth County Board of Elections Director Tim Tisujii said the free app will also provide the board with information that will help them plan for future elections.
“The app is a great idea,” said James Dawkins from Winston-Salem. “I didn’t know about it before I came, but I will let others know who haven’t voted.”
Before making her way inside the Forsyth County Board of Elections on Chestnut Street to cast her ballot amongst a group of Democrats, Joyce Banks said she decided to vote early to avoid the rush on Nov. 8.
“I usually wait until Election Day, but this year I wanted to get out early,” she said.
After casting her ballot, city native Sue Atkins was proud to show her support for the Republican presidential candidate when she was met by a group of Trump protestors. In response to negative chants made by the group of peaceful protestors, Atkins shouted, “Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump.”
While Forsyth County saw a slight increase, 17 counties in the state saw a decrease in early voting numbers. Overall, state numbers saw an overall 3 percent decrease. Despite the decrease in turnout, national poles show Hillary Clinton is well on her way to becoming the next President of the United States.
The New York Times’ national poll shows Clinton ahead of Trump by more than 5 percentage points. CNN polls shows Clinton ahead as well.
While early voting locations were limited to the Board of Elections Building at 201 N. Chestnut St. in the first week, several other locations opened across the county this morning. Here is a complete list of early voting locations:
*Brown & Douglas Community Center, 4725 Indiana Ave. 2000, Winston-Salem
*Clemmons Banch Library, 3554 Clemmons Rd. Clemmons
*Harper Hills Commons, 150 Grant Hill Ln., Winston-Salem
*Kernersvillle Senior Center/Library 130 East Mountain Street, Kernersville
*Lewisville Branch Library, 6490 Shallowford Rd., Lewisville
*Mazie Woodruff Center, 4905 Lansing Dr., Winston-Salem
*Miller Park Recreation Center, 400 Leisure Ln., Winston-Salem
*Old Town Recreation Center, 4550 Shattalon Dr., Winston-Salem
*Polo Park Recreation Center, 1850 Polo Rd., Winston-Salem
*Rural Hall Branch Library, 7125 Broad St., Rural Hall
*Sedge Garden Recreation Center, 401 Robbins Rd., Winston-Salem
*Southside Branch Library, 3185 Buchanan St., Winston-Salem
*Sprague Street Recreation Center, 1350 Sprague St., Winston-Salem
*St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2400 Dellabrook Rd., Winston-Salem
*Walkertown Branch Library, 2969 Main St., Walkertown
*W.R. Anderson Jr. Center, 2450 Reynolds Park Road, Winston-Salem
Polls open daily at 10 a.m.; closing times vary. Monday through Friday polls close at 6:30 pm. On Saturday, in October polls close at 4:30 pm. The last day to cast an early ballot is Saturday, Nov. 5. That day, polls will close at 1:30 p.m.
