Noon Saturday is in-person absentee voting deadline, see ballot

Election commissioner Barbara Ann Reed with one of the boxes of PPE going to precincts

Noon Saturday is the deadline to cast an absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 general election in person. Mailed-in absentee ballots can be received later but officials are recommending that ballots be taken to the courthouse in person if possible to insure they are counted.

Union County Circuit Clerk Phyllis Stanford will have her office open from 8 a.m. until noon Saturday for last-minute absentee voters.

Election commissioners and county supervisors were working Thursday to carry personal protection equipment to the county’s 20 polling locations. They also had been checking and testing the voting machines to make sure they were operating properly.

Thanks to COVID-19 relief funds, the state is providing some of the protection equipment for the polling locations. This includes pens for voters to keep, swabs to touch the screens of the voting machines, hand sanitizer, plastic shields for election workers, face shields, gloves and masks.

Supervisor Chad Coffey, left, and election commissioner Bill Azline prepare to load some of the Plexiglas shields that will be used.

Voters are asked to wear masks but will not be turned away if they are not wearing masks. Masks will be available to be offered to voters.

Even voters who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms or have been around someone who has symptoms may vote. They will have to vote at curbside or some other location away from other voters, however.

Signs will be posted at polling places to remind voters of safety precautions.

Below is a sample absentee ballot for the general election. The only difference is that it includes all five election commissioners when an actual voter’s ballot will only have the commissioner for the relevant supervisor’s district.

A county school board seat was supposed to be on the Nov. 3 ballot but does not appear because no one qualified to run for the office by the deadline. Remaining school board members will choose a replacement after Jan. 1.

You can print the sample ballot if you wish to make notes on it and a voter can take notes with him or her when voting if needed.