CLERKS TAKE VOTER REGISTRATION TO PEOPLE; EFFORT CONDUCTED AT STORES, PUBLIC EVENTS, FACTORIES

JACKSON - As part of its Voter Registration Outreach campaign, the Cape Girardeau County Clerk's office is going to the people in an effort to make registering to vote easier.

Not only does the outreach program promote registration, but it also gives voters who have moved to new addresses an opportunity to become registered in the proper voting ward.

"We are trying to make it more convenient for those people who can't come to our office to make changes or get everything current," explained Patty Schlosser, deputy county clerk.

"A lot of people work the same hours we do, so it is not always convenient for them to come in and register."

Schlosser said the clerk's office has contacted several large businesses to express a willingness to spend a day registering employees.

In several weeks, Procter and Gamble will have two days set aside for voter registration and will have representatives of several counties where employees live.

Schlosser said registration is being conducted at retail stores, public events, hospitals, nursing homes, and factories.

The deadline for voters to register for the Aug. 4 primary is July 15. That also includes changing addresses for voters who have moved to new wards.

In the fall, Schlosser said additional outreach efforts will be conducted, including at high schools in the county.

On Friday evening a registration table was set up on the front steps of the Common Pleas Courthouse for people attending Riverfest. This Friday, a table will be set up near the center court at West Park Mall from 4-9:30 p.m. On June 26, there will be a registration opportunity at Wal Mart from 4-7 p.m.

Earlier this year, County Clerk Rodney Miller conducted the canvass of voter registration books, done every two years. As a result of the effort, many voters who had moved from the county were removed from the registration rolls. The canvass took about 1,500 voters off the books.

Schlosser noted that on May 6 there were 30,444 registered voters in Cape County.

By the November general election, Miller is estimating there will be 34,000 people registered to vote in the county.

Besides the special registration outreach programs, county residents interested in registering to vote or in changing their address do so at the county clerk's offices in the administration building in Jackson and in the Common Pleas Courthouse Annex in Cape Girardeau. The offices are open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Citizens may also register at Riverside Regional Library in Jackson and at the public library in Cape Girardeau.

Schlosser noted that during the school year there are staff members at Central High School and Oak Ridge High School who can register students.