Early voting in Lexington saw hundreds of people lined up at libraries across the city to cast their ballots. Most people, like Tom Zentall, said they showed up to avoid long lines on Election Day. He came out to vote at Lexington Public Library’s downtown branch Friday morning. “I figured that on Tuesday, it’s going to be a lot worse than this. And I figured downtown, not that many people live downtown, so I figured it might be less of a wait,” Zentall said. “Looks like a pretty long wait. Anyway, I figured, it’s early in the morning, it might not be too bad… I should have come earlier.” Others, like Audra Stacy, decided to vote early because of their schedule. Stacy works as a neonatologist, which means long, busy shifts. “There’s a two hour window from 6 to 8 a.m. where, technically, I could come on Election Day, and I think that wouldn’t necessarily qualify me for an excuse for a mail in ballot, unfortunately, with how things are,” Stacy said. “So that’s why early voting was great for me, that I could come here and do this and not be stressed about trying to make it on time.” Locals like Jeannie Brewer were impressed with the strong turnout at the library. “I’m so thrilled to see this strong turnout,” Brewer said. “I really feel like it makes me feel so hopeful for America that people understand our democracy is so precious that we can’t be complacent now.” Fellow resident John Lackey said early voting helps more people fulfill their civic duty. “It’s everybody’s basic duty to vote, and if you make it harder, it just weeds people out,” Lackey said. “So this just makes it easier on people, which, if it’s not that much skin off anybody’s teeth, it’s a very wise thing to do.” The Fayette County Clerk’s office says they expect record turnout for early and absentee voting this election cycle. Six of Lexington’s twelve urban county council seats are contested, with the other half on the ballot unopposed. ** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation. The post Lexingtonians react to early voting period appeared first on The Lexington Times.