By MINDY KEPFIELD

Staff writer

Marion County voters are scheduled to go to the polls Tuesday, but what turnout will be amid a pandemic is anyone’s guess.

Early voting at the courthouse has been “somewhat quiet” but requests for advance ballots have continued to pour in to the county clerk’s office.

“We’ve had a lot of absentee,” county clerk Tina Spencer said. “Early voting has not been extremely busy.”

Now that the deadline to request an advance ballot by mail has passed, early in-person voting might actually pick up the rest of the week, Spencer said.

Voters have swamped the county clerk’s office with a record number of requests for absentee ballots. Spencer did not have updated numbers but said requests have been steady.

Early in-person voting will continue 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Friday and until noon on Monday.

Voters who show up at the courthouse or polling places will receive a stylus to mark their ballots. Poll workers have masks and hand sanitizer available at the door. A photo ID will be required.

All polling places will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Polling places this year are:

• Burns Community Center,
  301 N. Washington, Burns.
• Florence Masonic Center,
  421 Main, Florence.
• Goessel City Building,
  101 S. Cedar, Goessel.
• Hillsboro United Methodist Church, 905 E. D St., Hillsboro.
• Lincolnville Community Center, 213 W. 6th St., Lincolnville.
• Eastmoor United Methodist Church,   105 Eastmoor Dr., Marion.
• Peabody Senior Center, 106 N. Walnut, Peabody.
• Tampa Senior Center, 100 Main St., Tampa.