While there are several hotly contested races on the ballot for next Tuesday’s Consolidated Election, Marion County Clerk Steve Fox is expecting a normal turnout.
Fox says early voting will be different because of the Easter Holiday weekend. You can vote early at the courthouse on Thursday and again on Monday from eight to four. The courthouse will be closed Friday for Good Friday so there will be no early voting on Friday and the Saturday early voting was held last Saturday to avoid the holiday.
Fox is encouraging voters to go to the polls or vote early.
“Remind voters how important it is to get out in vote in these local elections. They are your candidates that you deal with in your municipalities, townships, and schools. We are looking at about a 25% voter turnout across the county. That would be up a little bit from 2017 that was 23-24% and that was a comparable election that had the townships in there also. 2019 was about 14% so that was a very low turnout election.”
Both Salem and Centralia have contested city council and Mayoral elections, Centralia residents are voting on a half-cent sales tax to support public safety and pay off new fire department equipment, and many school and township elections are contested as well.
The Clerk’s Office is still in need of election judges for Tuesday. Judges are paid $125 for the day. The only requirement is that you be a registered Marion County voter. If interested, you can contact Rob at the Marion County Clerk’s office at 548-3400.
