The idea is almost the same as the original idea for early voting...to make it more convienent for people who live away from county seats, to cast votes prior to primary or election day. Wood County was intrigued by the idea, but wanted to hold it for just three or four days during the early voting period.

"It had to be (in) a permanent structure, possibly a volunteer fire department," says Deputy County Clerk Mark Rhodes, "that we could use for a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, to set up during early voting, and just use that out in the counties."

Short voting periods were what the secretary of state's office also proposed. But a legal opinion said any satellite early voting site had to be open during the same number of days as the regular early voting 20-day period. For that reason, for now, Wood County has decided against the idea.

Rhodes says that, if satellite early voitng were to take place in Wood County, it would probably be in a town such as Williamstown. A population center that is a considerable distance from downtown Parkersburg.

"If we could put a center in Williamstown," he says, "because they're going to have a municipal election there also, it would draw from the Waverly area and from Central."

Rhodes adds the cost-effectiveness of a 20-day satellite voting site also was a consideration in its decision. It's hoped the legislature can make some modifications in the early voting law, which would prompt county officials to reconsider.

If both political parties go along...Jackson County is soon expected to have early voting in Ravenswood as well as Ripley.

That would make it the first county in West Virginia to have early voting in two separate cities.