Now that the slates for this year’s Primary Election have been set, Switzerland County voters will have several options on how and when to vote.
Clerk of Courts Gayle Sullivan said that the county will again use Traveling Voting Centers in the county, giving voters more options on being able to cast their ballots, as well as traditional ways of voting other than on election day.
The traveling voting centers will begin two weeks prior to the actual primary election day. In addition to the traveling centers, voters may also vote in the courthouse. The clerk said that voters can cast their ballots in the courthouse beginning this Tuesday, April 10th.
This year’s traveling voting center schedule is:
• Moorefield Firehouse: Thursday, April 26th from 8 a.m. to noon; and Friday, April 27th from 2-6 p.m.
• East Enterprise Firehouse: Saturday, April 28th from 8 a.m. to noon; and Monday, April 30th from 2-6 p.m.
• Patriot Town Hall: Tuesday, May 1st from 8 a.m. to noon; and Wednesday, May 2nd from 2-6 p.m.
• Florence Firehouse: Thursday, May 3rd from 8 a.m. to noon; and Friday, May 4th from 2-6 p.m.
• Switzerland County TEC Center: Saturday, May 5th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Monday, May 7th from 8 a.m. to noon.
• On Election Day, Tuesday, May 8th, the only site in Switzerland County open for voting will be the Switzerland County TEC Center on Seminary Street in Vevay.
• Voting in the Switzerland County Courthouse basement will be held beginning on Tuesday, April 10th through Monday, May 7th: Voting on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1-3 p.m.; and on Thursdays from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Voting will also be held in the Courthouse on Saturdays April 28th and May 5th from 8 a.m. until noon; and on Monday, May 7th from 8 a.m. until noon.
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Sullivan also said that open registration for those wanting to register to vote is also underway. That can be done in a variety of ways and locations, including in the clerk’s office in the courthouse. Open registration ends this Monday, April 9th. Registration will then re-open after the primary election is completed for people who want to vote in the general election in November.
Once the primary election is over, each political party will have the opportunity to fill holes in their ballots prior to the November General Election. If there was no candidate for a party in the primary, each party can hold a meeting and appoint a candidate to run in the November election. Sullivan said that each party has to make those appointments before Saturday, June 30th, and that candidate must file their paperwork in the clerk’s office before noon on Tuesday, July 3rd.
Since the primary election is the way that each political party sets its ballot for the general election, a voter in the primary must declare whether they would like to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. In the general election in November, both parties will be represented on the same ballot.
For questions or for more information on the upcoming election, visit the Clerk’s office or call (812) 427-4415.