KEVIN HALPERN, Courier Co-Editor
Thursday, August 2, 2012 1:40 pm

For those of you who are unaware, the office of the Cannon Courier is directly across the Water St. side of the Cannon County Courthouse.

All day long today, since 8 a.m., we have watched as citizens of Cannon County have gone to the courthouse to conduct business in anticipation of finding it open.

They were not aware that the courthouse would be closed on Election Day.

They might not have even been aware that today is an Election Day.

However, once they arrived at either of the five public entrances to the courthouse, there was nothing to inform them that their county offices were closed for the day, or why they were.

No notice anywhere. No message from the various county officials who have their offices in the courthouse. No person to tell them anything.

Nothing at all except for locked doors.

And people who were confused and upset. Several of them even waited in their cars or outside on the steps for 15 to 20 minutes thinking that everyone had just all at once gone to lunch and would be back soon.

I was not aware that the courthouse would be closed on Election Day. I do not know if it has been a common practice to do so for several years or decades. There may be a good reason or reasons for it not open on Election Day.

However, I do know that our newspaper was not notified of the situation, so that we could let our readers know. I also know that you shouldn’t close a public building, on what otherwise is a regular business day outside of the election, and not inform people who may show up there why its closed.

At the very least, they could have put signs on the doors!