Tuesday was another day where lines stretched around the Erie County Courthouse with people waiting to get inside the Voter Registration Office, some planning to vote early, like Robert Sesler. "Just to vote early and to help the candidate I'm voting for to get results early to win the election", said Sesler.
While others looking to resolve issues with their mail in ballots, like Cindy Redburn. "I sent in for a mail in ballot back in August and I still haven't gotten it and I wanted to vote early and I'm upset because my husband who lives in the same household as me got his and I didn't get mine", said Redburn
And a handful of people voting to avoid the stress on Election Day, like Victoria Held. "I like voting on Election Day, but this year I feared, the lines being long I wouldn't be able to stand and I wouldn't have anyone be able to wheelchair me on that day because it's going to be very hectic and busy", said Held.
As people waited, staff at the Voter Registration Office worked to make sure everyone was taken care of. As Karen Chilcott, the Erie County Clerk explained, "So we are trying to triage some of these issues as we walk through the lines."
Waiting in line can be time consuming and not everyone has that time to spare, so on Tuesday, Chilcott made some changes to help voters avoid the long lines. "If you have already applied for a mail in ballot and haven't received your mail in ballot, we are extending our hours here at the courthouse. You don't have to reapply, you can come and bring your identification and we are going to issue you a new mail ballot. We will cancel the original one, so you only get one vote, but we will continue to process them until 6:00, today, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and we will be open until 6:00 to help our voters. In addition, we will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 until 2:00."
Chilcott hopes this solution cuts down on wait times and provides more flexibility to voters looking to cast their ballot, "We understand that the wait time has been long or because they are working they haven't been able to come in during normal business hours, so we hoping that we can accommodate their schedules by having these hours."
Chilcott said she does appreciate everyone from the staff to the voters for their patience and hopes by extending the hours, it's a solution to a problem that many are frustrated by. The Voter Registration office will be open until 6:00 all this week and from 8:00-2:00 on the weekend.