The Oct. 7 recall election will be business as usual for county
voters after election officials had to abandon an attempt to
consolidate the number of polling sites for voter convenience and
to save money.
”
Now everyone can go to the same polling places they would
normally go to during an election,
”
County Clerk John Hodges said.
The Oct. 7 recall election will be business as usual for county voters after election officials had to abandon an attempt to consolidate the number of polling sites for voter convenience and to save money.
“Now everyone can go to the same polling places they would normally go to during an election,” County Clerk John Hodges said.
Hodges added that by following the usual practice at election times, registered voters will not be confused about where to go to cast their vote.
With 135 names on the ballot, which will be made up of as many as five punch cards, voters will have to pay close attention to what they do, Hodges said. If a voter votes for more than one candidate, the vote will not be counted.
“Ballots that have been punched more than once will be considered an overvote and overvotes will not be counted,” Hodges said.
Voters will also have to be careful in handling the recall ballot because election officials are asking them to keep ballot cards together in the envelope the ballot will come in.
“It’s very critical that the ballots be placed back in their secrecy envelope because we will have to check each ballot by hand,” Elections Supervisor Kim Hawk said.
Each ballot needs to be checked by hand to ensure there are no overvotes. Incomplete ballots may not be counted.
Despite the tight time schedule before the recall election, Hawk said residents will be able to vote absentee.
“Absentee ballots should be going out on Sept. 1,” Hawk said.
She said it was important that anyone who is voting absentee must make sure the completed voting cards are returned to the elections department by Oct. 7 and not just postmarked by that date.
“Every election, there are hundreds of ballots that can’t be counted because voters put their ballots in the mail on the day of the election,” Hodges said.
Ballots must reach the elections office by 8 p.m. on Oct. 7 or they will not be counted.
“If you can’t mail them in on time you can drop the absentee ballots off here at the elections office or at the nearest polling place on the day of the election,” Hawk said.
To accommodate voters who might have a difficult time making it to the polls on Oct. 7, elections officials will hold an early voting day on Oct. 4.
Hodges said the elections office will hold a training course for poll workers on Oct. 2, and that anyone who is a registered voter and who wants to work the polls on election day can attend.
