PDF: Sample ballots
Hamilton County voters will get a chance to cross voting in the county primary off their to-do list when early voting starts Wednesday.
Early voting cuts down on the hassle of voting on election day, May 4, when voters have to compete with long lines and whatever weather Mother Nature bestows, said Hamilton County Elections Commission Chief Deputy Charlotte Mullis-Morgan.
"It's for people's convenience, really," she said.
Of the 209,000 registered voters in Hamilton County, an "awful lot" choose to get to the polls early, she said. Participation has steadily increased since early voting became an option in the late 1990s.
"The people who have gotten used to early voting, they wouldn't go back for anything," she said. "It just moves faster."
Voters will need to bring a voter registration card or driver's license when they show up to the polls, she said.
Dr. Bruce Oppenheimer, a professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, said he hasn't seen any evidence early voting increases voter turnout, but said it allows campaign organizations to ensure their hardcore supporters get out to vote. Early vote totals have increased as voters have become more familiar with it.
However, early voting has negative consequences, he said. It doesn't tend to entice undecided or uninterested voters and people who do vote often make their decisions before a campaign has concluded, Dr. Oppenheimer said.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked. "Maybe it's telling us our campaigns are too long."
EARLY VOTING
* WHEN: Wednesday through April 29
* WHERE: Brainerd Recreation Center, 1010 North Moore Road, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Election Commission, 700 River Terminal Road, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
* WHAT TO BRING: Voter registration card or driver's license.
* WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT:
Republican:
County Mayor
County Commission, Districts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9
Sheriff
Trustee
Juvenile Court Clerk
County Clerk
Register of Deeds
Democratic:
County Commission Districts 4, 5, 6, 8
Sheriff
Circuit Court Clerk
Criminal Court Clerk
Juvenile Court Clerk
County Clerk
Register of Deeds