By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
Nercissa Newberry didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
So on Wednesday, the first day of early voting, she cast her ballot in Edmond on her day off.
“I didn’t want anything to stand in my way on voting day,” Newberry said. “I didn’t want some emergency to pop up.”
She waited about an hour.
“It was very smooth,” she said.
She voted early in a presidential election where the line was very long, she said.
“I feel like they saw what happened last time and they made more days available for us, which is great,” she said.
She said she did her research and brought a cheat sheet. She didn’t vote a straight party ticket, but did vote for Democrat gubernatorial nominee Cyndi Munson.
“I feel like she cares about people,” Newberry said. “She wants to listen to the people.”
Like Newberry, Linda Barnett cast an early vote at the Oklahoma County Election Board.
“Anything could happen,” Barnett said. “I wanted to make sure I had my voice heard.”
Like the site in Edmond, the Oklahoma County Election Board had a short line. Voters came with spouses. Some pushed walkers. Others lingered outside the polling place chatting with each other. Security was on hand at both locations, where signs directed voters.
For the first time, Oklahoma County had three early voting locations in an effort to make it easier to vote and cut down on lines.
Barnett said it was a “piece of cake” compared to the lines to vote in the presidential election.
“It was really quick, easy and painless,” said Hope Wilson, who cast her ballot at the Oklahoma County Election Board.
She voted for Munson because she agrees with her views.
She believes the policies of President Donald Trump, who has been campaigning for Republicans across the country and stopped Oct. 1 in Durant, are pushing people to vote for Democrats.
Across the country, people are grappling with increased costs for things ranging from groceries to gas.
Geary and Diane West cast their ballots in Edmond after waiting about 50 minutes.
The couple voted for a Republican ticket “because we can’t stand the direction Democrats are going in,” Geary West said.
The couple supports Donald Trump.
“He’s just a normal, goofy guy and we love him,” Geary West said.
Jayden Jarvis cast his ballot in Edmond and voted for Munson because he supports her policies.
He thinks Trump, or any president, will have an impact on the elections.
“Especially in the state of Oklahoma,” Jarvis said. “We are a big red state, so I know for sure it might impact a little bit more.”
David Suter voted in Edmond, selecting mostly Democrats because he doesn’t like what is going on in the government.
“I don’t care for a lot of the Democrats, but they’re better than what we got,” he said.
Early voting continues from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The general election is Tuesday. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
