The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

February 8, 2010

Greenbrier County readies for election

By Tina Alvey

LEWISBURG — With the primary election three months away, county clerks and their staffs statewide are deep into preparation to ensure the process is conducted efficiently.

Greenbrier County Clerk B.J. Livesay believes he has the personnel and equipment in place to minimize the delays in posting returns that have plagued the county in past years.

“We can give totals as soon as the machines are brought in (from the poll-ing places),” he assures.

The county has 107 computerized machines that are tested before and after each election. There are four locks on the door of the windowless room in the basement of the courthouse where those machines are stored. Livesay explains that he has one key, as do each of the three county commissioners. All four public officials must be present to unlock the room, according to Livesay.

In addition to electronically storing the votes cast, the machines each will produce a printout when closed out on election night.

“We use those paper trails for the canvass,” says Cheryl Yates, one of two deputy county clerks assigned to facilitate the election process.

Greenbrier County has 29 polling places, all of which are handicap-accessible. Each location must have five poll workers, with not more than three at one polling place from a single party.

“Right now, we’re getting the equipment ready and the Democrat and Republican executive committees are going to submit their lists of proposed poll workers and alternates,” Livesay says, noting poll worker assignments must be finalized by March 2.

Yates adds, “If anyone is interested in working at the polls, they can contact the county executive committee for the party in which they’re registered or call our office (304-647-6604). We’ll keep a running list, in case someone the committee recommends can’t work.”

While most poll workers come from the lists submitted by the two major political parties’ executive committees, voters registered as independents may also work, if the committees’ lists are exhausted before the 145 slots are filled.

Each precinct will have a minimum of three voting machines, including at least one that is handicap-accessible.

Yates emphasizes that voters should cast their ballots at the appropriate polling place for their geographical address. Ballots cast at the wrong precinct will be termed provisional, and will be subject to review during the canvass conducted by the county commission after the election.

“Every voter is responsible to update their address,” Yates says. “They can change their address at the polls, if they didn’t do it in advance, but they need to vote at the correct precinct.”

If a voter changes pre-cincts on election day, he or she will still have to cast a provisional ballot at the new polling place, but has a better chance of having the ballot counted during the canvass than one who votes in his/her old precinct, Yates points out.

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Web site has a “Find My Polling Place” feature that asks for name and birth date and yields the precinct number and location where the voter is currently registered. Go to apps.sos.wv.gov/elections for more information.

Also, the Greenbrier County Clerk’s office will be staffed on election day — May 11 — to answer telephone inquiries and respond to voters’ concerns.

— E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com

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