A new method of voting for those who cast absentee ballots will begin with the upcoming primary elections.
Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections, said absentee voters will be given a “Ballot Guide” and a “Ballot Card” for them to use for voting. “For many years, absentee voters put an “x” or “checkmark” by the candidate’s name on what was a paper ballot. This year, instead of voters receiving a so-called ballot, they will receive a “BALLOT GUIDE” that looks similar to the old-style paper ballots. These “GUIDES” will have a number beside each candidate’s name. In addition, they will receive a ‘”BALLOT CARD” with numbers and circles (or ovals).
Stanley said absentee voters will be instructed to study the “BALLOT GUIDE” with the numbers by the candidate’s name and then take the “BALLOT CARD” and completely darken and fill in the circle on the “BALLOT CARD” containing the number corresponding to the candidate.
“Think of it this way—The “BALLOT GUIDE” is a telephone book..use it to look up someone’s number. And just like the keypad on a telephone, find the number on the “BALLOT CARD” and darken in the oval next to the number,” said Stanley.
The new method is expected to save time and money. “The cards are very inexpensive and any cards in our inventory not used in this election can be used in a future election. There is practically no waste,” Stanley said.
“The cards that are marked will be fed through a machine that counts the votes. No longer will absentees have to be counted by hand. This saves time and that will be very important in the August election when the ballot will be extremely long,” he said.
If you should have questions, call the election commission office at 597-4146. “We expect there will be some questions and we are here to answer those. Keep in mind, there will be instructions included with your ballot guide and card,” Stanley concluded.
Meanwhile, Stanley is encouraging voters to vote early in both May and August but especially in August when the ballot will be quite lengthy. “The best way to avoid long lines or slow lines on election day is to vote early,” he said.
Early Voting for the May Election starts April 16 and ends May 1. The election commission office will be closed on Good Friday.
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