There are more than 40,672 registered voters in Lowndes County, with more people registering every day, Circuit Clerk Teresa Barksdale said.
“And I think they’ve all been in the office this week,” she told Columbus Exchange Club, of which she is a member, at its weekly meeting at Lion Hills Center on Thursday.
The deadline to register for the Nov. 3 general election is Monday. With both a special runoff election to fill the recently vacated House District 37 seat in the state Legislature next week and the presidential election coming up, Barksdale said, the clerks in her office have been extremely busy this week. As of Wednesday, they had received 1,100 requests for absentee ballots for the general election alone.
In Oktibbeha County, which has more than 30,000 registered voters, Circuit Clerk Tony Rook told The Dispatch his office has received about 800 or 900 requests for general election absentee ballots since circuit clerks’ offices throughout the state began receiving the ballots last week.
“We have seen a substantial turnout for absentee voting so far, and we anticipate … turnout to remain consistent until Election Day,” he said.
Oktibbeha County also has a special runoff election to fill the recently vacated District 15 Senate seat. The deadline to register for that and the District 37 House race have already passed, but absentee voting for those runoffs also is underway.
Presidential election years almost always see twice the turnout that state or local elections do, Barksdale said during her presentation at Exchange Club, but she and Rook both said this year’s turnout promises to be high even by those standards.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still going on, many voters fitting state requirements — 65 or older, have a disability, required to work during Election Day or will be outside the county on Election Day — have opted to vote absentee, they said.
“I also believe there’s more interest this year compared to previous elections, and these are the two driving forces behind the increased turnout this year,” Rook said.
Though those wanting to vote absentee may do so by mail — and, in a change from previous years, can have their envelope postmarked on or before Election Day and still counted as long as it is received up to five business days after Election Day — there is a “stringent set of requirements” that, if not followed correctly, significantly increases the chances the vote will not count, Rook said.
Those requirements include having a notary sign the ballot and envelope as well as the voter. The applications also have to be filled out properly with the ballot and application sent in a separate envelope, Barksdale said.
That’s why both she and Rook recommend voters who can visit the circuit clerks’ offices in person if they want to vote absentee.
“We encourage you to come to the office if you can,” Barksdale said. “It’s just so much better and clearer to the voter when we do it. I know some people just can’t get out, and I know some people are not getting out and I understand that. But we just really encourage people to come to the office because we’re there 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and four Saturdays out of this month (from 8 a.m.-noon).”
Both Lowndes and Oktibbeha circuit clerks’ offices have implemented safety measures such as increased cleaning and hand sanitizer, masks and/or face shields for clerks and social distancing between voters and workers to contain the spread of COVID-19 and keep voters safe and comfortable in the office. Those same safety measures will be in place at the actual polls on Election Day, Barksdale said, with poll workers distributing pens that also function as styluses, so that voters can sign polling books and vote without their fingers touching the computer screen.
Those who still need to register to vote can do so until closing on Monday, Barksdale said — including Saturday from 8 a.m.-noon.
“Do get out and vote. Do encourage people to get out and vote,” she said. “Do encourage young people to get out and vote if they’re not registered. If you know somebody that’s not registered but will be 18 by Nov. 3, please get them into the office by Monday. We’ve been getting a lot of that, and a lot of changes.”
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