County clerk’s recommends apprehensive voters consider absentee, curbside voting

By Laura Schiermeier, Staff Writer
Posted 4/15/20

VIENNA — Maries County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said her office will work with voters who are apprehensive about in-person voting at the upcoming June 2 Municipal/School Election.

At this point …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

County clerk’s recommends apprehensive voters consider absentee, curbside voting

Posted

VIENNA — Maries County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said her office will work with voters who are apprehensive about in-person voting at the upcoming June 2 Municipal/School Election.

At this point there are no guarantees the June 2 election will be held. But, the county’s election authority must move forward and be ready for the election if it happens. Rodgers said people who don’t feel comfortable making a trip to their polling site on June 2 can contact her office for assistance. She recommends people consider voting by absentee, which can be done at the courthouse if it is reopened before the election. Also, she will do curbside voting at the courthouse, bringing the ballot outside the building to their vehicle where they can vote. Or, persons can contact her office and the absentee ballot will be mailed to them.

Rodgers said she hopes the courthouse will be open at the end of April or by the first of May.

She needs to contact the county’s poll workers to see if they will continue to staff polling sites. Poll workers are not easy to find. Rodgers said she may be forced to combine polling sites. Sites that could be combined include Vichy-Hodgeville-Safe and Brinktown-Mason Ridge. The same poll workers can staff a combined site, but different vote counting machines would separate the precinct’s counted ballots. The April election traditionally has a low voter turnout anyway.

“I don’t know yet,” Rodgers said about the uncertainty with this election and the August and November elections this year.

The state could take steps but she said the governor and secretary of state generally leave some issues up to the local election authorities. The county clerks she has talked to all expect larger absentee voting for the next three elections.

For the April election, even though it was moved to June 2, the last day to register for it did not change as that deadline was March 11. For persons wanting the county clerk’s office to mail them an absentee ballot, Rodgers said the last day her office can mail out those ballots is May 20. Keep in mind an absentee ballot not voted at her office or curbside must have the seal of a notary. Voters who want an absentee ballot mailed to them need to act as soon as possible. Voters can vote absentee in-person ballots until the day before the election.

Rodgers said the election authorities are having conversations with some members of the state legislature about laws that need to be looked at because of changes to elections brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

There are city council positions, fire board seats, and school board members to elect at the June 2 election. The Maries R-1 School District has a no tax increase bond issue for much needed improvements to the campus, including several safety issues.

The last day to register for the Aug. 4 Primary Election is July 8. The last day to register for the November 3 General Election is Oct. 7.