July 17, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
After months of planning, the first day of early voting for the Aug. 6. State and Federal Primary and County General election is off to a safe and secure start in DeKalb County.
“Our staff has been working diligently to prepare for this election. We have ensured our polling locations have room for social distancing and have taken other measures to protect voters and poll officials.” said Dennis Stanley, DeKalb County Administrator of Elections. “It is great to see all of our plans in action and I encourage voters to take advantage of early voting to skip Election Day lines.”
The voting total of 190 includes today’s in-person turnout of 76 and absentee ballots cast to date. Of the 190 number, 96 cast ballots in the Tennessee Democratic Primary, 88 in the Tennessee Republican Primary, and 6 voted only in the DeKalb County General Election without voting in either state primary.
The City of Smithville vote stands at 19 including in-person and absentee ballots cast through today (Friday) but does not include property rights voters.
Early voting started today (Friday, July 17) and runs Monday to Saturday until Saturday, Aug. 1. Election Day is Thursday, Aug. 6.
Hours for early voting are Mondays 1-5 p.m.; Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thursdays 2-6 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Election day voting at all 15 precincts will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 6.
Early voting allows DeKalb County voters to avoid Election Day crowds and the flexibility of afternoon and Saturday hours.
Voters are encouraged to do their part during early voting and on Election Day. This includes wearing a face covering and maintaining a six-foot distance from poll officials and others. Voters should expect to see signs with further safety instructions at their polling locations. All poll officials will be wearing face coverings and will be trained to take appropriate protective measures.
“I commend all of the election commissions across the state who have been preparing for months for this election,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “It’s encouraging to see voters safely taking advantage of Tennessee’s generous early voting period.”
The easiest way for voters to find early voting and Election Day voting locations, view and mark sample ballots and much more is by downloading the GoVoteTN app or by visiting GoVoteTN.com. Download the GoVoteTN app for free in the App Store or Google Play.
Tennesseans voting early or on Election Day should remember to bring valid photo identification to the polls. A driver’s license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, by Tennessee state government or by the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable.
For more information about early voting in DeKalb County visit www.dekalbelections.com.