With the Nov. 5 presidential election less than a month away, Perry County voters who want to make their vote count but have mobility issues, are planning to be out of town or have some other reason they can’t cast their ballot on election day are encouraged by County Clerk Jared Kutz to take advantage of absentee balloting through his office at 321 N. Main St., Suite 2.
According to Kutz, polling places across the county will be crowded if the turnout for this year’s election is anything like previous years.
“We'll have upwards of 70 percent of registered voters who will turn out for a general election, including the presidential election. On years when there's just a senate race or something like that, not as much, of course. For example, in 2020, we had a 72.6 percent turnout in the general election, and that’s probably what we can expect this time. We had almost 9,500 voters last time, so I expect we will exceed that this year because we have more registered voters now than in November 2020. I'm guessing we might reach 10,000 voters in this election.”
Kutz and his staff have prepared for the November election for quite some time.
“You have the August election that's going to have 4,000 or 5,000 voters, and then you basically double that in November, so you're constantly preparing, but, as far as logistically preparing for the presidential election, it started the day after the primary election in August.”
Kutz explained that absentee voting in Perry County is not difficult; in fact, it’s much like voting at a polling place on election day, but without the long lines.
“I think one of the most important things for people to know is that they can vote absentee in my office,” he said. “That started six weeks to the day before the election. I believe that Sept. 24th was the first day that absentee began. We had people walk in that day to vote. By Oct. 10, probably around 100 people will have voted absentee here at the front counter in our office. My front counter is set up almost exactly like a precinct would be where folks go, be it St. Mark's Church, the Park Center, the Elks Lodge or Altenburg City Hall.
“They walk in and show us their ID. We verify their photo ID to make sure they are who they say they are. They sign the poll pad. We give them a ballot. Once they've completed their ballot, they bring it in and put it in the machine, and their vote is tabulated. Now, it’s very important to note that we cannot process the totals of those counts until the polls close on election night. Absentee voting continues until 5 p.m. the Monday before the election.”
According to the Missouri Secretary of State's Office, those who wish to vote absentee must provide one of the following reasons:
– Absent from your election jurisdiction on Election Day;
– Incapacitated or confined due to sickness or disability, including caring for a person who is incapacitated or confined due to sickness or disability and resides at the same address;
– Restricted by religious belief or practice;
– Employed by an election authority, first responder, health care worker or as a member of law enforcement;
– Incarcerated, provided all qualifications for voting are retained; or
– A certified participation in the address confidentiality program established under sections 589.660 to 589.681 because of safety concerns.
“We are happy to do curb service, to help folks who have difficulty walking inside the building,” he said. “If they are in town to go to the grocery store or to the doctor, they can stop by here, and we can bring the tablet and a ballot out to them. Of course, we will stay there while they're voting, and then we will bring their ballot back to our office inside a ballot secrecy envelope to put directly into the machine.”
Absentee ballots can also be delivered by mail if a voter requests that one be sent to their home address.
“If someone requests an absentee ballot in person, by mail, by fax or by email, they have to fill out an application first,” Kutz said. “They can't just make that request over the phone.”
The deadline for submitting absentee requests by mail or fax is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23.
“The application comes back to us through the mail, and then we send them a ballot, which they can fill out and then send back to us,” Kutz said.
All completed absentee ballots must be received by Kutz’s office by 7 p.m. on election day to be counted. A voter's spouse, parent or children may complete an absentee ballot application on their behalf.
No-excuse in-person absentee voting starts Oct. 22.
“They walk in, show us their photo ID, we verify, and we let them vote if everything checks out right and they're properly registered to vote in the state of Missouri. That's the last two weeks, and I'm guessing we will have about 1,500 absentee voters for this election.
Kutz assures those concerned about the process that voting absentee is secure and their votes will be counted accurately.
“We go through the process,” he said. “As far as voting absentee by mail, I think it is a good system because we have signature verification in Missouri. If an envelope comes back to us and it is not signed by the voter or someone who is attesting to assist that voter, that ballot does not get counted. Signature verification is a very important element of this. Also, we don't just send anyone a ballot. They have to request a ballot. We want them to sign that application and then send it back. That way you know we've got a paper trail for the whole thing. It is a good process, it is a secure process.
“But if someone has concerns that they aren't going to be able to make it to the poll, they can walk into this office. Like I said, it's just like walking into a precinct on election day. There are a lot of folks out there who say they prefer election day, not election season. To each his own on that. We have this process because life happens and makes voting on election day difficult. But if they have any questions about the mail, they can come into my office. We welcome everybody. It probably takes less time than at the precinct because there's no line. Their ballot goes right into the machine, and it's all done right there. So, I do trust the system. I do like the system. I do like that we have absentee voting.”
Kurtz is adamant that the most important thing is that people vote.
“There are so few ways that the majority of us can have an impact on our lives,” he said. “Voting is one of those ways.”
For more information about absentee voting, call the Perry County Clerk’s Office at 573-547-4242.
