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The primary election is nearly upon us, with voters heading to the polls to choose their party’s candidates for the general election in November.

Harlan County Clerk Donna Hoskins provided a final update on the processes and procedures for this election cycle.

“The only processes available now will be early voting at the Harlan Center on May 12, 13 and 14 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.,” Hoskins said. “Anyone who is registered can walk in there and vote.”

Hoskins stated the polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Election Day, May, 17.

“We’re going back to the 32 precincts,” Hoskins said.

The precinct voting locations in Harlan County are:

Harlan, The Harlan Center; Baxter, Rosspoint Elementary School; Putney, Shriner’s Fairgrounds; Pine MTN, Little Laurel Bible Church; Bledsoe, Green Hills School; Ages, Ages Church of God Mtn. Assembly; Verda, KCEOC/Old Verda Elementary School; North Evarts, Elementary School; South Evarts, City Hall; Britain’s Creek, Black Mt. Elementary School; Shields, Shields Pentecostal Church; Klondyke, Saylor’s Grocery; Totz, Totz Bingo Hall; Green Morris, Totz Bingo Hall; Cumberland City, Elementary School; Cumberland BLK MOT-E, Elementary School; Blair, Elementary School; Cumberland New York, Elementary School; Benham, Fire Station; Lynch, Fire Station; Elcomb, The Laurels; Sunshine, Harlan County CAA; Grays Knob, SE Tech College, Harlan Campus; Cawood/Hiram, Elementary School; Smith, US Corps of Eng.; Cranks, Methodist Church; Loyall, Loyall Comm Center; Fresh Meadows, Riverside Baptist Church; Wallins City Hall, School; Wallins School, School;, Coldiron, Masonic Lodge; and Pathfork, Pathfork Holiness Family Center.

Hoskins mentioned the election workers recently completed the election school. She also explained how and when the ballots will be counted.

“Absentee ballots will be counted beginning at 8 a.m. on Election Day,” Hoskins said. “The rest will be counted at 6 p.m. on Election Day.”

Many of those hitting the polls will be using new voting machines.

“We used new voting machines in May and November of 2020, but we were only using them sparingly,” Hoskins said. “There was not one at every precinct at that time.”

Hoskins said all precincts will once again be open.

“All 32 precincts will be open,” Hoskins said. “If you’re not sure where you need to go to vote, call us and we can check for you, or if you’re not sure you’re registered, or anything pertaining to Election Day, call us.”

The final day for absentee voting is Wednesday, May 11, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the Harlan County Clerk’s Office. Those wishing to cast an absentee ballot must meet the requirements to do so.

A previous report states to qualify for absentee voting, a voter must meet at least one of the following requirements:

A student temporarily residing outside the county; incarcerated but not convicted of the crime for which they have been charged; temporarily residing outside the state of Kentucky but still eligible to vote in the state; anyone who will be absent from the county on Election Day and on all days that in person absentee voting is conducted; A participant in the Secretary of State’s crime victim address confidentiality program; or not able to appear at the polls on Election Day or on the days in person absentee voting is conducted on account of age, disability, or illness and have not been declared mentally disabled by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Voters should bring a picture I.D. if possible.

“We want everybody to be aware of every chance to vote,” Hoskins said. “Let’s have a good turnout, and let Harlan be counted.”

For more information, contact the Harlan County Clerk’s Office at 606-573-3636 or go to https://www.harlancountyclerk.com/election-information.