Work crews completed an improvement project this week at the Carter County Election Commission Office designed to improve the experience for residents who take part in early voting.
Workers installed an awning to cover the sidewalk and walkway at the Election Commission office.
“That will give people more room outside and as they enter and exit the building,” Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey said.
Humphrey referenced the elections in 2016, which saw a significant increase in the number of residents participating in early voting. During the early voting period for the November Presidential election, Carter County set a new record for early voting participation with 33,583 residents — approximately 34 percent of all registered voters in Carter County — casting their ballots early.
“More and more people are taking part in early voting,” Humphrey said.
With such high turn out, the line to vote frequently extended out the door and down the sidewalk at the office, Carter County Administrator of Elections Tracy Harris said.
“In the last election people were standing outside in the rain,” she said, adding the new awning will help improve conditions for voters who face lines at the early voting poll. “If it’s hot it will give them some shade to stand it or if it’s raining it will give them some protection.”
Funding for the project came from the county’s buildings and grounds budget, Harris said.