PARKERSBURG — As voters head to the polls today in West Virginia’s Primary Election, officials are continuing to work to make sure people have their opportunity to vote.

As the state has been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, how the election would be conducted also changed.

Instead of having around the usual 70 voting precincts, voting locations were consolidated to seven locations today with each voting precinct assigned to one of these locations where people will be able to cast their ballot.

Those are the Judge Black Annex in downtown Parkersburg, the Vienna Community Building, Williamstown High School, Mineral Wells School, Lubeck Elementary, the Jack Stephens Gym at Parkersburg High School and Kanawha School.

“It is going to be a hot one,” said Wood County Clerk Mark Rhodes in regards to expected temperatures possibly reaching into the 90s.

Polls will open up at 6:30 a.m. and will go until 7:30 p.m.

“As long as you are in line by 7:30 p.m. you get to vote,” Rhodes said.

When asked by Wood County Commissioners on Monday what kind of turnout he was expecting today, Rhodes was not sure.

“Honestly, I really have no clue,” he replied.

The county sent out over 10,000 absentee ballots for people who wanted to vote that way due to health concerns from the pandemic. Early voting numbers have been down with the number of absentee ballots sent out and with the presidential candidates pretty much determined.

“Right now, between the early voting and the absentees we have about a 20 percent turnout,” Rhodes said. “For the average primary, the turnout is usually 23-24 percent.”

The time to apply for an absentee ballot ended last week, but absentee ballots can still be mailed in and counted as long as they are postmarked today, officials said.

If people haven’t sent in their absentee ballot yet, Rhodes said people can still vote at the polls. They are asked to bring their ballot with them so it can be voided. Otherwise it would have to be a provisional ballot that will have to be reviewed by the county commission during canvassing.

“We would check to make sure the absentee ballot did not come back,” Rhodes said.

The absentee ballots and early voting ballots have been scanned and will be among the first ballots tallied tonight when the count begins.

Early voting had been going slow over the last couple of weeks. The last day for early voting was Saturday. Rhodes said both Friday and Saturday were busy days for early voting.

“Friday was our biggest day where we had 616 people and did over 500 on Saturday,” Rhodes said.

People will be out at the traditional precinct sites today to direct people to which of the consolidated voting sites they need to go to. Officials wanted to be sure people would be at the traditional sites where people always regularly vote to make sure they knew where to go, as some may not have heard of the changes and go to a particular place out of habit.

Rhodes said they will have 36 people out at the traditional voting sites. Since some sites traditionally accommodate multiple precincts only one person would be needed at these sites to be able to direct voters where to go.

County personnel were out over the weekend putting signs up at each site telling people where they need to vote, just in case the person assigned to that location has to step away for a few minutes.

“We will still have the signs there, just in case,” Rhodes said.

Each of the consolidated voting sites will have enough poll workers on hand to be able to conduct the election. On average, each site will have 14-18 voting machines.

When people arrive to vote today, they will see the voting machines spaced out to allow ample social distancing. Each location will have separate entrances and exits.

“Some of the poll workers will be wearing masks and some will have gloves,” Rhodes said. “Some of them will and others will not. It was not made mandatory.”

Some people manning the tables where people check in will be sitting behind a Plexiglas shield.

There will also be people regularly wiping and cleaning the voting machines throughout the day. Voters can use a Q-Tip as a stylus on the machines.

“People don’t actually have to touch the machines,” Rhodes said adding there are also ink pens people can sign in with that the tips also make a good stylus for the machines.

There have been a lot of people calling the County Clerk’s office asking where they need to go vote.

People can still call the voter’s line at 304-424-1860 to ask where they can vote.

A full list of the precincts and where they are assigned to vote is available at the County Clerk’s page at https://tinyurl.com/wnbsn27

Contact Brett Dunlap at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com

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The list (by precinct) of the county’s traditional voting precincts and the consolidated sites each precinct is assigned:

08

* Before: Parkersburg City Building

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

10

* Before: Good Shepherd Church

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

13

* Before: Jefferson Elementary Center

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

16

* Before: PHS/Cafeteria

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

19

* Before: Emmanuel Baptist Church

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

27

* Before: Criss Elementary School/Gym

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

29

* Before: PHS/Cafeteria

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

32

* Before: Madison Elementary School

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

33

* Before: Beechwood Presbyterian Church

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

34A

* Before: Van Devender Middle School

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

35

* Before: Pburg/Wood County Library

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

36

* Before: Emerson Elementary School/Gym

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

36B

* Before: Hamilton Middle School-Gym

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

37

* Before: Hamilton Middle School-Gym

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

37A

* Before: Criss Elementary School-Gym

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

38

* Before: Criss Elementary School

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

40

* Before: Emerson Elementary School/Gym

* Now: PHS-Jack Stephens Gym

40A

* Before: Rosemar United Methodist Church

* Now: Vienna Community Building

41

* Before: Vienna Library

* Now: Vienna Community Building

41U

* Before: Vienna Library

* Now: Vienna Community Building

42A

* Before: Neale School/Gym

* Now: Vienna Community Building

43A

* Before: Neale School/Gym

* Now: Vienna Community Building

45

* Before: Vienna Elementary School

* Now: Vienna Community Building

45A

* Before: Vienna Elementary School

* Now: Vienna Community Building

46

* Before: Greenmont School/Gym

* Now: Vienna Community Building

46B

* Before: Greenmont School/Gym

* Now: Vienna Community Building

47

* Before: Fellowship Baptist Church

* Now: Vienna Community Building

48

* Before: Boaz Lions Club

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

49

* Before: MOV Regional Airport/General Aviation Bldg.

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

49A

* Before: New Hope Baptist Church

* Now: Vienna Community Building

50

* Before: Williamstown Elementary School/Gym

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

51

* Before: Williamstown Elementary School/Gym

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

52

* Before: Williamstown City Building

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

53

* Before: Union Valley Baptist Church

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

53A

* Before: Union Valley Baptist Church

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

54

* Before: Waverly VFD

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

54A

* Before: Waverly VFD

* Now: Williamstown High-New Gym

56

* Before: D.A.V/Old Murphytown School

* Now: Kanawha School

56A

* Before: Red Hill United Methodist Church/Basement

* Now: Kanawha School

57

* Before: WVU-P WCE Building

* Now: Kanawha School

57A

* Before: WVU-P WCE Building

* Now: Kanawha School

58

* Before: Kanawha Elementary School

* Now: Kanawha School

60

* Before: Kanawha Elementary School

* Now: Kanawha School

61

* Before: Deerwalk Volunteer Fire Department

* Now: Kanawha School

62

* Before: Washington Community Building

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

62A

* Before: Washington Community Building

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

63

* Before: Blennerhassett Middle School/Main Door

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

63A

* Before: Blennerhassett Elementary School

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

63B

* Before: Blennerhassett Middle School/Main Door

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

64

* Before: Blennerhassett Elementary School

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

67

* Before: Lubeck Elementary School/Gym

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

67A

* Before: Lubeck Elementary School/Gym

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

69

* Before: PSHS Cafeteria

* Now: Judge Black Annex

71

* Before: Fairplains Elementary School

* Now: Judge Black Annex

71U

* Before: Fairplains Elementary School

* Now: Judge Black Annex

74

* Before: PSHS Cafeteria

* Now: Judge Black Annex

74B

* Before: Gihon School/Main Hall

* Now: Judge Black Annex

74C

* Before: Gihon School/Back Hall

* Now: Judge Black Annex

75

* Before: Fairplains Elementary School

* Now: Judge Black Annex

77

* Before: Edison Middle School

* Now: Judge Black Annex

78

* Before: Grace Gospel Church

* Now: Mineral Wells School

78A

* Before: Grace Gospel Church

* Now: Mineral Wells School

79

* Before: Grace Gospel Church

* Now: Mineral Wells School

81

* Before: Hopewell Church of Christ

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

82

* Before: Belleville Community Center

* Now: Lubeck Elementary

85

* Before: Rockport Church of Christ

* Now: Mineral Wells School

86

* Before: Mineral Wells School/Gym

* Now: Mineral Wells School

87

* Before: Mineral Wells School/Cafeteria

* Now: Mineral Wells School

88

* Before: Mineral Wells School/Gym

* Now: Mineral Wells School

89

* Before: Mineral Wells School/Cafeteria

* Now: Mineral Wells School