Published: November 05, 2009 10:47 am      

Haywood voting to begin

Early in-person absentee ballot voting is set to begin Friday prior to next week’s special school bond election for the Haywood School District.

Plans call for the Pittsburg County Election Board office, currently in the Professional Building at 10 E. Washington Ave., to be open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday and Monday so voters in the Haywood School District can cast the early ballots.

Voters will be casting ballots on two separate school bond issues totaling $600,000. The measures include a $220,000 transportation issue for two new buses, including one with a lift for students with disabilities, and a $380,000 building issue for renovations at the school, according to Haywood School Superintendent Chad Graham.

“In-person absentee voters will fill out an application form when they get to the office,” said Pittsburg County Election Board Secretary Cathy Thornton.

“They are not required to give a reason for voting absentee.”

Voters will be required to swear that they have not already voted a regular mail-in absentee ballot and they won’t vote at their polling places on election day, she said.

An absentee voting board will verify a voter’s registration information before issuing a voter’s ballots, according to Thornton.

Voters are to mark the ballots in a voting booth and then place the ballots in an electronic voting device, Thornton said.

“It is very much like voting at a precinct polling place,” she said.

Plans call for all regular precincts in the Haywood School District to be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. for the regular election next Tuesday. No early in-person absentee ballot voting will be available at the election board office on Saturday, since this is not a state election.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.