ABSENTEE BALLOTS AVAILABLE FOR PRIMARY

Missourians don't have to go to the polls Aug. 6 to be able to vote in the primary election. They can cast absentee ballots in person or by mail.

"For voters who are unable to go to the polls on election day, absentee voting is an option that should be considered," said Secretary of State Bekki Cook.

Cook said the easiest way to vote absentee is in person. All of the county clerks and election officials in the state have absentee ballots that can be voted in person at their offices during regular business hours.

"For someone who knows they will be unable to go to the polls on election day, this is a good way to vote," she said.

Rodney Miller, Cape Girardeau County clerk, said there has been little interest in absentee voting for the August primary.

Miller said there are few races on the ballot, although a number of tax measures are on the ballot.

Voters can apply for absentee ballots by mail until 5 p.m. July 31. To be counted, the absentee ballots must be received by the time polls close on election day.

Absentee ballots can be voted in person until 5 p.m. on Aug. 5, the day before the election.

Miller said election offices in Cape Girardeau and Jackson will be open Aug. 3, the Saturday before the election, from 9 a.m. to noon, for those who want to cast absentee ballots in person.

The county clerk's office in Jackson is the Cape Girardeau County Administrative Building across from the courthouse; the office in Cape Girardeau is in the Common Pleas Annex at 44 N. Lorimier.