CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Voting was slow but steady through the lunch hour here today, according to Bradley County election officials.
A few people were waiting to vote when the polls opened at 8 a.m., including Walker Valley, the senior center and Michigan Avenue, officials said.
“We’ve been on the phone steadily,’’ said election inspector Jean Sneed, at the halfway point of election day. “That usually means the turnout is steady too,’’ she said.
Poll worker phone calls to the election office usually seek verification of addresses before someone votes.
There could still be a surge of voters around 5 p.m., when people get off from work, said Dana Burgner, a long-time member of the Bradley County Election Commission.
At mid-afternoon there were no lines at Stuart or Oak Grove and none reported at any of the other 17 county precincts.
Early voting accounted for 8,155 votes in Bradley County. Early voting results are usually reported shortly after the polls close at 8 p.m.
Bradley County has over 58,000 registered voters, according to the election commission office.
Randall Higgins covers news in Cleveland, Tenn., for the Times Free Press. He started work with the Chattanooga Times in 1977 and joined the staff of the Chattanooga Times Free Press when the Free Press and Times merged in 1999. Randall has covered Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Alabama. He now covers Cleveland and Bradley County and the neighboring region. Randall is a Cleveland native. He has bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Technological University. His awards ...
