A large number of first-time voters are expected to cast their ballot in the November Tennessee General Election.
The DeKalb County Election Commission office reported recently that 850 new registrations have been logged since January 1, with 387 of those since the August election.
“One in eight active voters registered for the first time this year or had their registration reactivated after they had been purged for lack of participation for a number of years,” said DeKalb County’s Administrator of Elections, Dennis Stanley. “That is a large number for a county this size and is an obvious reflection in the interest in this year’s presidential race.”
The registration deadline has passed and a recent count showed DeKalb County with 10,195 active voters. “There’s over 1,000 more voters who are labeled ‘inactive’ who could still show up and vote,” Stanley said.
A breakdown of the ‘active’ registrations show there are over 500 more females registered to vote than males and the largest age group is those between the ages of 36-65 at 5,153 voters.
Meanwhile, early voting begins Wednesday and local officials are expecting a heavy turnout during both early voting and election day.
“We have received numerous calls from people asking when Early Voting begins, so we expect to be busy during that early period and that’s a good thing,” Stanley said. “Early voting is so convenient and voters should take advantage of that opportunity.”
Early voting will be held October 19 through November 3. Hours are: Mondays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thursdays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Saturdays 9 a.m. to Noon.
“The local election commission always tries to set various times to accommodate the different segments of the population,” Stanley said. “They try to make it as easy as possible for a voter to find time to cast their ballot.”
Election Day is November 8 and polls open in DeKalb County at 8 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.
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