TEXARKANA - With less than 10 days left until Election Day, thousands of Miller County, Arkansas, and Bowie County, Texas, voters have already cast ballots.
In Bowie County, about a third of registered voters have already voted.
Early in-person voting in Texas began Oct. 13 and in Arkansas on Oct. 19. As of the close of polls Thursday, more than 17,000 Bowie County residents had voted in person, according to the Texas secretary of state. As of noon Friday, more than 4,400 Miller County residents had done so, according to county Election Coordinator Linda Crawford.
Add more than 2,600 mail-in ballots received in Bowie County through Thursday, and the number of Bowie and Miller residents who have already voted tops 24,000. The number of mail-in ballots received in Miller County was not available Friday.
The cumulative number of mail-in and early in-person ballots cast through Thursday in Bowie County is 19,685, or 32.06% of the county's registered voters, according to the secretary of state.
Lines were longer on the first few days of early voting in Bowie County, but in recent days there have been about 10 people in line at a time, Election Administrator Pat McCoy said.
Early in-person voting ends Oct. 30 in Texas and Nov. 2 in Arkansas. Election Day is Nov. 3.
In both counties, digital voting systems will allow early voting to be tabulated quickly on Election Day, with no manual counting or scanning of paper ballots necessary.
In Texas, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by the next day are valid, so the vote count will not be completed until Nov. 4. In Arkansas, mail-in ballots must be received by Nov. 3, so a complete vote count is expected that night, Crawford said.
Local early voting polling locations and times follow.
Miller County, Arkansas
Locations
(Throughout the early voting period)
Cabe Fellowship Center
First United Methodist Church
400 E. Sixth St., Texarkana
(These four locations will be added Thursday, Oct. 29, Friday, Oct. 30 and Monday, Nov. 2:)
Central Baptist Church
2117 E. 35th St., Texarkana
Sugar Hill United Methodist Church
1621 Sugar Hill Road, Texarkana
Jamison Center of Kindness
1101 Couch St., Texarkana
Stanley Davis Community Center
203 E. Redcut Road, Fouke
Remaining Times
Monday, Oct. 26-Friday, Oct. 30
8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24
Saturday, Oct. 31
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 2
8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Bowie County, Texas
Locations
Bowie County Courthouse
710 James Bowie Drive, New Boston
Southwest Center
3222 W. Seventh St., Texarkana
Walnut Church of Christ
2720 Moores Lane, Texarkana
Remaining Times
Monday, Oct. 26-Friday, Oct. 30
8 a.m.-6 p.m.