“It’s been going great,” said Blaine City Clerk Cathy Sorensen. “It really has.”
Blaine election officials have been bracing for this moment and canvassed the city on election day to make sure there were no snags.
“We were out at the polling places already this morning, visiting, doing some trouble shooting at some spots,” Sorensen said. “That’s what happens on election day, it always does.”
According to Sorensen it is all hands on deck for Blaine election personnel as they try to make sure the voting process hits no snags.
“We’re fully staffed ready to serve,” Sorensen said. “Voters were just pleased to be able to go in and go out. Lots of smiling faces with I voted stickers on them.”
Record turnout possible
By mid-morning there was a steady stream of voters at Blaine City Hall – but no long lines or delays. Those came earlier in the day.
“There were lines in the beginning just like we always expect because people want to hit the polling places on the way to work,” Sorensen said. “Then there will always be the lunch kind of surge and folks coming from work in the evening.”
When every vote is counted the 2024 election could produce a record turnout.
“I think so,” Sorensen said.
Blaine residents have pounced on the opportunity to vote in many different ways.
“We have issued over 12,000 ballots here at city hall,” Sorensen said. “It was over 1200 yesterday alone, so that is great. It’s about 26 percent of our registered voters… I think people figured out it’s pretty easy to vote early, but then there’s folks that still want to vote on election day and it’s just great that you have all the different options available.”
Sorensen says 2024 is going to have more absentee votes than 2016, but not as much as 2020 which saw high numbers because of the pandemic.
