ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Roanoke County voters may experience delays.
Roanoke County Registrar Anna Cloeter said she has had concerns about the electronic poll book following the 2016 presidential election, when an electronic poll book crashed in one precinct and led to long wait times to cast a ballot.
To avoid issues, Cloeter made the decision on Sunday that all County precincts would use paper poll books. Each precinct has at least three books.
The poll book is the list of registered voters with their relevant information to make sure they are whom they say they are and are voting in the correct place. It has nothing to do with the ballot.
The registrar's office says turnout has been "incredibly high" so far. As of 10 a.m., 20 percent of registered voters have cast their ballots. That's compared with 45 percent for the whole day in 2014, and 75 percent for the day in the 2016 presidential election. Midterm voter turnout is typically much lower than turnout during presidential elections.