Greene voters prefer to cast ballots in person
Polling places across Greene County were reporting large turnouts Tuesday as many voters expressed distrust in casting their ballots by mail.
One of those was Timm Reeves, who voted late Tuesday morning at Carmichaels Fire Hall. He said he waited 35 to 40 minutes in line and would have waited longer if necessary.
“It was very important to me that I vote in person instead of mailing my ballot in,” Reeves said. “I personally believe it is something that every voter should do, if they are able. Anything could happen to mail-in ballots, whether they get lost or stolen, or even corrupted.”
Reeves said voters in line were polite and pleasant, and he was happy to see the voters and polling place adhering to pandemic guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control.
As for the voting process itself, Reeves said casting his ballot was easy and fast, and poll workers were “helpful and terrific.” He noted that he researched the candidates on the ballot before casting his vote.
“I’ve been voting for a long time, and I don’t care what election it is, every single one is important,” he said.
Scott McCracken of Waynesburg voted at his Franklin East polling place mid-morning, waiting nearly an hour in line. McCracken echoed others’ sentiments in that he preferred to vote in person.
“Showing up and voting in person made me feel that my vote would be secure, and not be lost in the mail,” he said.
McCracken also credited poll workers for operating an efficient polling place, and said he was happy that others waiting in line were civil.
“It was a calm and relaxing environment, no hostility at all,” he said. “There was a lot of friendly small talk, even between people with different opinions and viewpoints.”
McCracken was pleased to hear of large voter turnouts across Greene.
“That shows that not only are there many people who may be apprehensive about mailing their ballots in, but also that people agree how important this election is.”
Susan Tretinik of Waynesburg cast her ballot late Tuesday morning at the downtown Waynesburg Borough 2 polling place. She was pleasantly surprised that there was not a long line, and that the process was easy.
She, too, was not comfortable with the mail-in option.
“It’s not just this election. I feel that way about mail-ins every time I vote,” she said. “But this election is very important, and I wanted to absolutely make sure my vote is secure.”
Rick Black of Waynesburg voted shortly after his Waynesburg Borough 1 polling place opened. He waited in line about 20 minutes and watched it grow longer by the minute, he said. Commending poll workers for their efforts, Black said it was crucial for him to vote in person.
“This is a tremendously important election for our country, and I absolutely knew I would be voting in person,” he said. “I heard the rumors about ballot theft and fraud, and about hundreds or maybe even thousands of ballots being lost. I wasn’t going to take a chance of that happening to my ballot.”
Bill Baxendell of Waynesburg stood in line roughly 50 minutes at the Franklin East polling place.
“I would rather wait in line for hours here in person than mail in my ballot,” he said. “I want to be in control of my vote, and doing this in person means I can control it.”
Surveying the long line in front and behind him, Baxendell said he was not surprised by the large turnout, although he admitted it was the longest he’d ever waited to vote.
“Without a doubt, this is one of the most important elections in the last 50 years, so it’s great to see so many Greene County voters let their voices be heard,” he said.
Greene County Commissioner Mike Belding said by mid-afternoon no issues had been reported to the county elections office, and large turnouts were being reported throughout the county.
As of Oct. 31, a total of 4,161 mail-in and absentee ballots had been received, but won’t be tallied until Wednesday morning.