Voters wait in line on the first day of early voting.
Liz O’Connell | Anson Record
Early voting began Oct. 15 and will continue through Oct. 31.
Liz O’Connell | Anson Record
Commissioner candidates Robert Mims, left, and Vancine Sturdivant campaign outside the early voting location Thursday.
Liz O’Connell | Anson Record
WADESBORO — A line of cars wrapped around the Anson County Board of Elections on Oct. 15, the first morning of early voting, proving an energized atmosphere for this year’s election cycle.
By 7:30 a.m., voters waited in line, even though doors didn’t open until 8 a.m. When the voting did start, the line moved quickly as voters waiting approximately 15 to 20 minutes to vote.
Previous Director of the Anson County Board of Elections, Steve Adams, recalled never seeing a line during early voting throughout his 12 years at the Board of Elections.
The first day of early voting brought in 982 voters, either in-person or through the car line, a record for the county, according to current Director Sherry Melton.
This doesn’t include the mail-in ballots the board received. On Friday by 4 p.m., Melton said there were about 600 voters and Monday again showed a steady turnout.
As of Monday night, there has been 2,656 votes. For comparison, there are 16,502 registered voters in Anson County.
Saturday afternoon, voters car pooled from the old Walmart parking lot to the polling site as part of the Black Voters Matter event. This brought in about 35 to 40 more voters.
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, there has been over one million votes, both in-person and by mail in ballots as of Friday, Oct. 16.
If early voting continues this way, Melton pictures election day to run smoothly with very small lines.
Early voting ends on Oct. 31. The only early voting site is the Anson County Board of Elections located at 402 Morven Road, Wadesboro, NC 28170. For more information call 704-994-3223.
Reach Liz O’Connell at 267-467-5613 or at eoconnell@ansonrecord.com. Follow on Twitter at @TheAnsonRecord.