Voters’ final chances to cast their ballots are coming up as early voting ends Saturday and the Primary Election is Tuesday, March 3.
Early voting in Macon County has been underway since Feb. 12, and will continue through Saturday, Feb. 28. Macon County Board of Elections Director Melanie Thibault said turnout has been lower than expected, with 2,916 people voting as of 9:15 a.m. Feb. 24.
“We had anticipated being closer to 4,000 by this point based on past patterns,” she said. “It’s possible that some voters are planning to cast their ballots on Election Day instead. We want to remind everyone that early voting remains open and available, and participating early can be a convenient way to ensure your voice is heard. Our goal is simply to make sure every eligible voter has the opportunity to take part.”
A similar situation occurred during the 2024 primary election. That year on Tuesday, Feb. 27, with four days of early voting left, 1,858 voters had cast a ballot. Another 1,701 voted early by the end of early voting for a grand total of 3,559.
Currently, Macon County has a total of 29,234 registered voters of the estimated 38,717 residents (census.gov). Of those, 12,664 are registered Republicans, 4,506 are registered Democrats, 11,858 are unaffiliated, 196 are Libertarians and 10 belong to the Green party. Of those who list their gender on their voter registration, there are 13,608 men and 15,121 women.
Thibault said she hopes more people turn out for the remainder of the week and on March 3, especially given the sheriff’s race will be effectively decided with the election of Brent Holbrooks or Bob Cook since there is no Democratic challenger in the general election.
Thibault said the elections office was struggling to get enough poll workers in 2025 to handle the election but has since brought on more than enough workers to handle both the primary and general elections in 2026. Thibault said the office was “overflowing” in part because of the efforts of party chairs to help recruit more members.
For early voting, the polls will be open through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Election Day will be March 3, with local polling stations open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. On Election Day you must vote at your assigned precinct. Look up your polling station at vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup.