The county added the Green Creek site for this year&squo;s primary election, which also drew a record turnout.&bsp; &bsp;

Edwards says the additional site helped take some of the load off her office, but many people remained unaware that it was available. She says some people who live in the Green Creek area even passed right by the early voting site there on their way to vote at the Womack Building.

The sites in Green Creek and Mill Spring not only provide alternate locations that may be more convenient for many in the county, they offer different hours that may better fit the schedule of people who work during the day.

The Green Creek and Mill Spring sites will be open from from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, beginning October 16. They will also be open on Saturday, November 1, the last day of early voting, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Registered voters can choose to vote at any of the three early voting sites. The sites are not restricted to voters from a particular area.

Contrary to some claims, the elections office says the location of the sites is not political. They were selected to be convenient for people in outlying areas.

Edwards says nearly 4,000 people took advantage of the early voting in Polk County in 2004, the last presidential election year. She expects the county may see more than 5,000 people vote early this year.

The state will again allow people to register and vote at the same time during the early voting period, a program that is expected to further boost turnout this year.

The Polk elections office adds that prior to the primary it saw many people register who had never voted before, and they weren&squo;t just 18-year-olds. The general election is expected to attract even more new voters (see story above).