001[Music] hi it's just after 6:00 on Election Day we're at the ashin high school gymnasium we're with the ashin town clerk Cindy Livingstone Cindy busy day it has been very busy today yes it has your day started at what time this morning well I got up at 3:30 I was in my office at 5: um at the school about 5:30 and here we are and you'll be here at least until 10:00 tonight you know yes if you're lucky yeah I'm I'm hoping 10 but 11 the lines have been steady all day all day pole workers have been amazing have been amazing kudos to the pole workers we can't do an election without the pole workers nope uh so talk to me about the day so you opened up the doors at 7:00 this morning uh
002we had a line down here and then down the hallway and then out the back door at 7:00 a.m. this morning um we got through that pretty good um by 7:30 we already had close to 300 voters in a half hour it was crazy but we did it and these guys I can't give them enough Kudos yeah they're great um but it has been steady all day we've had a lunch rush an afterwork Rush we're waiting for the last minute rush that's you know between 700 and 8 uh but we've already had close to 10,000 vote out of our 12,960 voters so you already had 75% so you're you're predicting more than 80% so let's talk about that so now you have mailin voting we have early voting yes so are those votes counted already
003the mailin votings and the early vo I have um 5,556 ballots already through machines that I'll run the numbers for at 8:00 tonight and then everything else will go through today and that that was the mail in votes mail in and iners so as somebody is watching this right now it's just after 6:00 they have until 8:00 tonight to put something in the drop box tonight that's correct the drop box will be closed at exactly 8:00 um it it's not going to be 8:01 we have to close it at 8 um polls Clos at 8:00 you have to be here and in line by 8:00 if you're in line if you're in line you're going to vote you're going to vote no matter what yes correct and that's important so mail and voting kind of
004exploded this year early voting's been kind of growing over the years what are your thoughts I mean how's it work for the town of bachel this year um I have mixed views on it so it it definitely it helps my traffic on Election Day because we've already had like I said over 5,000 um already deposited into the machines but it's a lot of work getting to that point I have not had a day off since October 11 whatever that's not right so um but I mean we do it this is what we do and to see all the people here coming it's it's I love it it's it's why I do it um I wish every election could be this busy but I mean I think the media hasn't pivoted fast enough now with early
005voting and mail and voting because now you see profiles on candidates or you know you see debates that are happing after people have already voted and it's like okay like there there needs to be an adjustment to the next election cycle I mean our first ballots mailed out October 2nd that's the day that we got them from the state and we mailed them out that day and like you said how many debates and things happened after that but yeah yeah so I mean that needs to we don't have election day anymore no it's basically an election month yeah uh and overall with all that I mean so you think we're going to hit over 80% today what is the record of all time in Ashland do you know I'm not prepared for that question prepar
006for that question I believe it's about 84 85% 2020 I think we did 84% and that was one of the highest I mean you're never going to get to 100 but wouldn't it be great if you know like one time we could get the 90 and stuff so tell us about the PO workers let's let's give them their do so we are so staff today um I I've put extras on everywhere um they are everybody's been very nice very Prof I get so many compliments from people that have come in and voted letting me know how great these people are and um most of mine at least half are volunteers they just come here and they do it because they love it they love democracy and it's a long day for it's a very long
007day they most of them get here at 6:00 a.m. and they could be here until 10 or 11:00 tonight um but I I couldn't do it without them they've been in my office helping me sort ballots and count and they're awesome so just so the town knows uh there's you you're the town clerk you have Chris who is your assistant town clerk y Deputy Town Clerk and then you have one other person working in I have Jean who's part-time over there and then um for just the election season I hired CJ Brown who I couldn't have done it without him I mean he just he was my vote by mail guy he was getting those ballots out as fast as applications are coming in um you've had po Watchers today now no no issues throughout
008the day or anything no none no so we're very lucky to have you in the town of asland to be our town clerk I mean you run you run a great election any closing thoughts before we get you back to work no just if you're going to vote hurry up we want to go home and please get out and vote if you don't vote you can't complain you can't complain true yes don't forget meeting November 19th November 19th meeting today keep up the great work thank you very much I appreciate you guys thank you have a great night you too happy