Early Voting Picks Up

The ballot machines were busy Friday as a steady stream of people voted early at the Benton County Clerk's Office. "Who wants to wait in line on Tuesday?" asked Kendra Andrews after spending a few minutes with the touchscreen. "I had my decisions made so it was easy." Ron Wade says early voting allows him to avoid the crowds, and to take his time. "You need to know who you're voting for and you need to know what their records are," Wade says. "You need to take time to make sure that you can find them without being rushed." County Clerk Tena O'Brien says more people are stopping by the office to vote in the days leading up to the election, and that's normal. "We live in a world of procrastination," she says. "People wait until the very last minute." O'Brien says more than 4,700 people have taken advantage of early voting over the last two weeks. That number is higher than in 2008, but with the sheriff's position up for grabs on Tuesday, it's lower than the election commission expected. "Elections are hard to predict," O'Brien says. "We prepare for a crowd and if that doesn't happen we can adjust." She says it's hard to tell if Tuesday's numbers will be lower than expected too. "Secretary of State Mark Martin predicted a low turnout and I think he's right on with that," O'Brien says. Wade believes many people like the hustle and bustle of election day. "I think that people are interested," he says. "I think that on the official voting day they'll come out." Andrews hopes her fellow early voter is right. "It is dissapointing that people don't exercise their right to vote," she says.