The Election Commission has voted to expand from four to six early voting sites for the 2022 elections.
One of the sites will be up Highway 58 and the other up Highway 27. Exact locations will be identified and brought to the Election Commission for approval.
Administrator of Elections Scott Allen estimated that the addition of these two sites would raise the number of Hamilton County voters within 15 minutes of an early voting site to around 95-96 percent.
Chris Clem, election commissioner, said an "EV Drivetimes" chart was used to help decide on the new sites.
He said, "The chart shows that all voters living within a dark purple section are currently within a 15- minute drive of one of the current four early voting sites. The map clearly shows that the northwest and northeast part of Hamilton County are the two largest sections of our county that must drive over 15 minutes to arrive at an early voting site."
There is a setup cost of about $70,000 for each site to purchase new equipment. The cost is about $35,000 per election to keep it running.