KINGWOOD — There has been a nice, steady crowd of early voters in Preston County so far.
That’s according to County Clerk Linda Huggins, whose office has been staffing the election center in the Kingwood Plaza since early voting opened on April 27.
Today is the final chance to vote early and polls will be open at the election center from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Voters need an ID to vote but it does not have to be a voter’s registration card, Huggins said.
On May 10, polling places across the county, including the election center, will be open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. All polling places are listed at prestoncountyclerkwv.com. The clerk’s office can also help by phone at 304-329-0700.
As of 3 p.m. on May 6, 1,191 people had voted early, according to numbers provided by Huggins. 102 of those votes were cast on the first day.
She hasn’t had time to compare turnout to previous years yet, but Huggins said early voting has become more popular in recent years and the new election center’s location has helped. It was first used in the 2020 elections.
“Where it’s located now is near the grocery store, near the plaza. And it’s more convenient, I think, for people that are thinking, ‘well, why not go down here and vote when I’m already here buying my groceries,’” Huggins said.
Every early vote cast helps reduce the Election Day crowd and eases the burden on precinct poll workers, Huggins said.
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