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Shelley Osterloh Reporting The idea of casting your ballot before Election Day seems to be a hit with voters in Salt Lake County. Early voting has been so popular, the county clerk has added some days and machines.
Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen says she was surprised by how many people are voting early, so the In-office voting center is expanding and will be open for the next two Saturdays, in addition to weekdays.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 7th, but many people are lined up to vote early.
Sherrie Swensen, Salt Lake County Clerk: "We don't want people to have to wait in line to vote early. We've added more machines at all of the locations that have encountered lines and we made a larger area here at the county government center."
The Salt Lake County Office Vote Center is located within the South Building of the County offices at 2100 South and State Street. Now, in addition to weekdays, the office will be open tomorrow and next Saturday.
Sherrie Swensen, Salt Lake County Clerk: "I think people are going to love to take an opportunity to come in and vote on Saturday, a lot of people are more free to do so. They are off work so that will be very popular as well."
Swensen says so far the new electronic voting machines are working well, and once voters get used to them, they like them.
Sherrie Swensen, Salt Lake County Clerk: "They get to go back and forth and review their ballot and they can make changes throughout the process. And we have the paper trail that they can compare what's on the electronic screen with what's on the paper."
Swensen says it takes people longer to vote on the new electronic machines so she anticipates longer lines at the polls on election day. She hopes early voting will cut down on those lines and maybe increase voter turnout by making it more convenient to vote.
If you want more information, you should check with your county clerk. The Salt Lake County Clerk's website offers a search feature where voters can find their Election Day polling location, if their voter registration is current, and view a sample ballot.
