Early voting in county is on a record pace

There are times these days when one visits the second floor of the Chickasaw County Courthouse in New Hampton and wonders, “Will there actually be people voting at the polls on Election Day?”As of Tuesday morning, almost 2,100 county residents had cast ballots for the Nov. 8 election, which is now less than two weeks away.Four years, 2,861 voters cast early ballots, but that record will almost assuredly be surpassed this fall. That’s because in the final two weeks leading up to the 2012 election, more than a 1,000 early ballots were cast.Those who want to cast early ballots can do so at the courthouse during the Auditor’s Office regular business hours, which run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.The office, though, will be open the next two Saturdays as this upcoming one is the final day that voters can “pre-register” for the Nov. 8 election.This week’s hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Auditor’s Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5.The last day to cast an early ballot will be Monday, Nov. 7, and on Tuesday, Nov. 8, residents must vote at their local precincts, which will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.