Get your vote in early

It could very well be a record turnout in next Tuesday's election, so voters are being encouraged to cast their ballots as early as possible. In fact, we encourage businesses to demonstrate their patriotic faith in the American democratic system by letting their employees slip out during the day to cast their ballots.

When the polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday only those voters still in line will be allowed to cast ballots. And that could cause some problems because locally there are two lines you have to go through. Besides the regular general election ballot, voters also will have to go to a separate line, separate table and separate voting booth for the Western Elmore County Recreation District election, which is drawing high voter interest in this year's local races. The separate voting is due to the fact the rec district ballot is a different size than the one the county will be using, and the district's boundaries aren't the same as the entire county.

Voters who aren't previously registered can do so at the polls, but they have to bring proof of residency (a driver's license and a power or water bill will work).

Legally, no voting results can be released prior to 9 p.m., but don't expect any results by then (except, possibly, the large number of absentee ballots cast this year, which the county will run as early as is legally possible). This will be the first presidential election for the county's new clerk, Marsa Grimmett, and the rec district has never, in its eight-year history, ever faced a contested election. Furthermore, while the county will be using machines to tabulate its ballots at the courthouse, the rec district will be counting by hand at the library, and almost none of the people who will be counting those ballots have ever done it before, so don't be surprised if the rec district election runs late into the night before the results are known.

It is going to be a long, but interesting night here Tuesday. Make sure you do your part by voting.

-- Kelly Everitt