Preparations continue as election day approaches
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Oct. 14, 2024) – We’re now just over three weeks away from picking America’s next president.
At the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections office, voting machine testing is scheduled to take place Tuesday and Wednesday. Director Gail Garbrandt says it’s not very exciting, but anyone who’s interested is welcome to stop by to observe the process, which is required before every election
“So we take our voting machines and we plug them all in and turn them all on and make sure that they don’t have any information from a prior election and that they’re all working properly.”
Meanwhile, early voting has been continuing at the courthouse, even while the rest of the building was closed for Columbus Day. That’s on weekdays only for now with additional days and hours beginning next week.
“[Deputy Director] Brian [Swartzwelder] and I came in on Saturday to pick up the mail because we were expecting ballots… and there was a line and Brian went out and told the gentlemen that we were not open yet on Saturday.”
Early-in person voting opened last Tuesday and runs through the Sunday before the election. Garbrandt says around 1,700 Tuscarawas County residents cast a ballot that first week.