Common Election Day problem solved

During a normal Election Day, workers at the Whitley County Clerk’s Office traditionally get multiple phone calls with the same complaint, which deals with would be voters going to a voting precinct only to be told that they are at the wrong location.

“On Election Day it happens all day long. There are some elections we will get probably 200 phone calls. At least 150 of those phone calls are for that purpose,” noted Whitley County Clerk Carolyn Willis.

It’s frustrating for voters. It’s frustrating for poll works. It’s frustrating for the deputy clerks answering the phones.

Starting next year though, you will be able to vote at any polling place in Whitley County on Election Day although there will be fewer polling locations.

Starting with the 2022 May Primary, there will be eight voting centers located in Whitley County, including six located at local schools, one in a city government building and one at a church.

The eight new voting centers are spaced out across the county and listed below, and include:

• Williamsburg Independent School
• Whitley County High School
• Pleasant View Elementary School
• Whitley East Elementary School
• Whitley North Elementary School
• Oak Grove Elementary School
• Corbin City Hall
• Sanders Creek Church (Canadatown area)

Willis said that there is no school or government building in the Canadatown area, which is why Sanders Creek Church is being utilized.

“It’s where it has always been down there for them,” Willis noted. “I think it will be great going to eight voting centers. It will be a little different for our voters, but I think the 2022 election will be a great election with not nearly as many problems.”

Willis said that she thinks the change will prove popular once voters realize they aren’t restricted to voting at only one polling location.

Willis said the change in voting locations is the result of last year’s House Bill 574, which addressed election changes in light of the 2020 elections. Because of the pandemic, early voting was allowed and counties were allowed to have only one or a handful of voting centers open on Election Day.

“They realized that it worked well and saved the counties money. We were having a hard time getting precinct workers, especially for our small county that had 36 voting precincts. We would have had to have had 144 precinct workers,” Willis said. “That doesn’t seem like a lot for our county, but it definitely is.”

Willis said each of those workers has to undergo mandatory election training prior to the election in addition to working on Election Day. In addition, the county has to have substitute election workers lined up for those who call in sick on Election Day.

“If you don’t have 20 to 30 people sitting aside who have been trained just for absenteeism on election morning then you are in a pickle. They cannot work if they have not had the election training. It has become a big problem with precinct workers,” Willis said.

Last year, each election precinct worker was paid $160 total to attend election training and work on Election Day. Willis said she is trying to get that amount increased to $200 total for next year’s elections.

Early voting added

Another big change next year is that there will be three days of early voting prior to Election Day when any registered voter can go cast a ballot.

Willis said details in regards to early voting hours haven’t been finalized yet, but she is hoping to have early voting at both of her offices in the old courthouse in Williamsburg and in the old Corbin City Hall.

The early voting will take place the Friday, Saturday and Monday immediately prior to Election Day.

During the 2020 election, over 4,000 people cast early ballots at Willis’ Corbin office and over 6,000 cast early ballots at her Williamsburg office although it should be noted that there was 30 days of early voting for that election.

“I think we can accommodate doing those three days of early voting,” Willis noted.

“Hopefully I can have extended hours on those three days. We are shooting to have it just like Election Day from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.”