Record requests

McClain County Election Board Secretary Karen Haley hasn’t yet run a report on requests for mailed absentee ballots.

Not that she has to in order to verify a record number of voters will be bypassing their precinct polling place on November 3.

“If not double, it’s pretty close to double” the number of requests her office has received for absentee ballots, Haley confirmed Tuesday.

Interest in voting by mail has grown across the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several states have no provision for in-person voting and rely strictly on voting by mail. Still, President Trump has opposed mail-in ballots, claiming they open a door to voter fraud.

On Friday, Haley took eight trays of addressed ballots to the post office.

Monday’s total was three trays.

By mid-morning Tuesday she had nearly filled another tray.

Haley said the hefty initial mailing included ballots sent to absentee voters whose applications are on file at the election board office.

Although registered voters have until 5 p.m. October 27 to request an absentee ballot, Haley encourages those who want a mailed absentee ballot to apply early.

That’s because at least two mail transactions are required.

“The County Election Board must mail the ballots to the voter and the voter must return the voted ballots by mail,” Haley said.

Election officials must have the marked ballots in-hand by 7 p.m. on election day to be counted.