(HENRY COUNTY, Va.) — In an area not known for strong community involvement in politics, voters have braved gloomy September weather to vote early, starting on Friday, Sept. 20. Marking her first presidential election as Henry County registrar, Dawn Stultz-Vaughn greeted voters as they entered the Henry County Administration Building .

Stultz-Vaughn, recently retired after more than two decades as a police officer,  is the first new registrar for the county in 45 years. Her office sits on the first floor of the building with early voting stations situated just outside of her door, in the lobby. On the first day of early voting, she spent her morning sending more than 1,300 mail-in absentee ballots, then stepped out of her office to welcome 397 voters in. Her goal that day and right up to November: increase the turnout.

Q: How has voter turnout been in the past?

A: 46% was in 2020, and to me that seems low. Presidential elections bring out a lot of voters, it seems, more than any other elections. I’m really hoping we surpass that. 

Q: What’s your ideal number for this year?

A: I would love to see close to 100. I don’t think that’s ever going to happen, but I’ve ordered enough ballots just to be on the safe side. We’ve had over 300 in-person voters every single day, and today is only day five, so I’m hopeful. I don’t think 75% is a stretch. 

Q: What have you been doing to prepare for election day?

A: Because we have a permanent absentee list of voters who want to receive a ballot — people die every day, they move out of our area, they move into our area — it’s just constant to keep up with. It’s not just a ballot, it’s a whole packet we have to send out, so in the months before, we were getting all the envelopes ready, stamping everything, putting all the instructions and everything in there. It’s been months in the coming for this one.

Q: How are you feeling about this being your first presidential election as the registrar?

A: Actually, I’m feeling pretty good, and maybe that’s a false sense of security, but I think we’ve done a lot to prepare ahead of time. I was just outside checking voters in, so I actually can spend a little time with the public, versus being stuck in here. So I feel pretty good.  

Q: What does election day look like for you?

A: Answering the phone, answering the phone, answering the phone. We have to be here at 4:30 a.m.. Sometimes the phone is ringing when we walk in the door, because my workers at the precinct have to be at work at 5, and voters start coming in at 6. It takes a while to get everything set up.

Q: What kind of problems do you see people run into?

A: All the machines, they take their sweet time to do the processes to open up, and if you get in a hurry and try to push that along, it just kinda locks the whole system up. They have to run so many opening tapes that show that there are no votes on the machine when they open. 

Q: How has your background as a police officer shaped your experience as registrar?

A: We’re just here to make sure that the election is done right and legally and lawfully and truthfully. So I think my background in law enforcement has made it somewhat of an easier transition. I’m not good with gray, I’m good with black and white.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbimC2qsmDQ