Hardy County Commission approves additional early-voting site at Baker Ambulance Building

Hardy County commissioners voted to add an early‑voting location at the Baker Ambulance Building, a move county officials said is intended to make voting more convenient for residents on the east side of the county.

County Clerk Clark Humperson told the commission that the Baker site (precinct 5) will operate on the same schedule as the courthouse early‑voting hours and will be open beginning April 28 for the primary. "Anyone from the county can go to [Baker]," Humperson said, noting the site will serve people who cannot reach the courthouse during work hours.

The clerk said she had received strong community interest in the site and plans to staff it with experienced poll workers. Commissioners moved, seconded and voted to establish the site at the Baker Ambulance Building; the motion passed without recorded opposition.

Humperson also alerted the commission to pending state legislation and party rules that could affect ballots. She said Senate Bill 61, currently before the legislature, appears to remove county-commission discretion for provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct — a change she warned could lead to more provisional ballots being rejected. "So it's just something for people to be aware of," she said. Separately, she noted the county Republican party has closed its primary to independent voters this year.

Commissioners directed county staff to publicize the new Baker location, its hours and the potential effect of state and party changes on provisional ballots. The clerk said the Secretary of State has offered a mass publication about primary changes but the county has not yet received that material.

The commission will include the Baker location in election outreach and encouraged residents to check county communications for details ahead of the April primary.