2,600 ballots already cast locally ahead of general election

By Chris Fortune

With election day less than two weeks away, many Buchanan County voters have made their choice at the ballot box.

More than 1,600 voters have cast early ballots at the courthouse as of Friday afternoon. The Buchanan County Clerk’s office also has received about 1,000 mail-in absentee ballots. In total, more than 2,600 early votes have been counted so far.

Two friends who are passionate about the upcoming presidential election visited the courthouse to avoid the election frenzy.

“I just want to make sure I get my vote counted and to avoid the very, very long lines on Election Day,” Rucime Butchart said. “So we thought today was a very nice day to go out and vote.”

Her friend stressed the importance of other issues on the ballot, like Amendment 3, which she said is more than just about abortion in her mind.

“It’s about women’s health care,” LuAnn Whiteheel said. “Everyone deserves to be helped when they need it, and that is extremely important to me.”

Another voter served in the military for 22 years. She said she would never miss a chance to vote to make the country better.

“I care about our country deeply, and I care about immigration, and I care about our economy and I care about sanctity of life,” Rebecca Wombwell said.

There are 53,855 registered voters in the county, according to the clerk’s office, which means about 4% already have cast a ballot with a week to go until Election Day.

“Everybody go out and vote,” Butchart said. “Have your voice be heard. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”

The voter registration deadline for this year’s general election was Oct. 9.