With six hours down, and six hours to go, Natrona County could be on track for a ballot-box-busting non-presidential general election.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, when absentee voting closed, the Natrona County Clerk's elections office had received 7,008 absentee ballots either from people who voted in person at the Old Courthouse or who mailed in their ballots, Clerk Renea Vitto said Tuesday morning.

Late last week, Vitto said her office was on track to receive about 6,500 absentee ballots.

Vitto expected about another 50 to come in the mail Tuesday.

There are about 33,700 registered voters in Natrona County.

At 7 a.m., 110 people were waiting in line at the consolidated polling place at the Industrial Building at the Fairgrounds.

By 11:25 a.m., there was a steady line to the outside doors of the building waiting to be directed to about 20 election workers at the computers to register and/or be given their numbers for their polling places.

The election workers, many of whom wore prairie dresses and sported patriotic bling, waved signs when they were free to serve the next voters.

By 11:45 a.m., county chief information officer Eileen Hill, said about 3,000 people had voted at the consolidated polling places at the Fairgrounds and the Restoration Church.

In 2016, Vitto, with the approval of the Natrona County Commission, consolidated 14 precincts at the Industrial Building and six precincts at Restoration Church, 411 Walsh Drive. Vitto made that decision because of complaints about problems at school polling places such as parking, access for the handicapped, tightened school security and construction.

Earlier this year, the former Roosevelt High School, was able to be used as a polling place in north Casper -- Precinct 1-1 -- for the Aug. 21 primary because the Casper Housing Authority bought the former school and renamed it "The Landing." Voters in north Casper should be prepared to find an alternate access route from Durbin and L streets because of construction in the area.

The polls close at 7 p.m.

 

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