BROOKE COUNTY, W.Va. (WTRF) – 7News is your Local Election Headquarters. 

As Election Day draws closer, officials are getting the polls ready for in-person voting and preparing to mail out ballots. 

In Brooke County, absentee ballots will be sent out starting this Friday, September 18 until October 28. 

The County Clerk says voters can call their office at (304) 737-3668 to request an absentee ballot application. Once they fill it out, they send it back in the included pre-paid envelope and wait for their actual ballot to arrive in the mail.

Those who choose to vote in-person will see all new machines. 

Everything’s going to go smoothly. We’ve been waiting on our new machines for a while and I’m so grateful.

Kimberly Barbetta, Brooke County Clerk

The County Clerk explained they’ll look like large tablets and can also help with counting absentee ballots. 

If you want to do a mail-in ballot, that ballot will then be counted by it’s called a DS450, which is a machine that counts the vote. No manual votes will be put in. It’s 100 votes per minute, so we’ll be able to count our absentees much faster and have our results much faster on election day.

Kimberly Barbetta, Brooke County Clerk

 Early voting takes place in-person from October 21 to 31. It will be in the County Commission meeting room.

Barbetta said all COVID-19 protocols will be followed. Voters will enter in one door and leave through another. Machines will also be socially distanced.

Election Day is November 3.