Election season set for Tuesday start. Cape County clerk to mail ballots this week; absentee voting to begin

With the November general election now just six weeks away, Cape Girardeau County will send out ballots this week -- both traditional absentee and the special mail-in option authorized by the Missouri General Assembly due to COVID-19.

"I expect at least 2,000 ballots by mail will be sent from our office on Tuesday," said county clerk Kara Clark Summers, adding that 100 ballots to active-duty military personnel and overseas voters were sent out Friday.

Summers said her office has received a significant number of emails and phone calls from voters intending to vote before Nov. 3 asking when their ballots will arrive.

Voters have several options for the general election:

• Vote in-person Nov. 3 at the voter's designated polling place or at either one of the following central polling sites: the county administration building, One Barton Square in Jackson or Cape Girardeau's Osage Center, 1625 N. Kingshighway.
• Vote in-person before Nov. 3 (walk-in absentee) at either central polling site in Jackson or Cape beginning Tuesday and available every weekday until Nov. 2. The county will also accept walk-in absentee voting at those two locations on Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. until noon.
• Vote using a traditional absentee ballot mailed to a voter's home which may be either mailed back to the county or dropped off in-person before Nov. 3.
• In voting absentee without using a notary, a voter must be physically incapacitated or disabled, confined due to illness or caring for someone incapacitated or confined. Also not requiring a notary is the coronavirus excuse -- including voters 65 and older, residence in a long-term care facility, those with chronic lung disease, chronic moderate-to-severe asthma, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, serious heart conditions, diabetes and those who are otherwise immunocompromised.
• To vote without going to the polls on Election Day and not having a valid absentee ballot excuse, a special mail-in option may be requested. These time-limited special ballots, which the state legislature has authorized only through the end of 2020, do require a notary and must be returned by mail.

Confused?

"If a voter isn't sure what to do, visit capecountyelections.com or call (573) 243-3547," Summers said, adding that traditional absentee ballots may be requested by fax, by email or via the county clerk's website. Special mail-in ballots may be requested only through either U.S. mail or in-person.

Voter beware

"We're getting a lot of calls from people getting direct-mail pieces saying they're not registered to vote or encouraging them to check," said Summers, county clerk since 2007.

"Call my office if you are uncertain about your voting status but don't give out your personal information to an untrusted source," she added

Ballot status tracker

Voters will soon be able to check online whether a requested ballot has been mailed or, conversely, to see whether it has been received by the county.

"We don't have a firm date yet when the tracker will be up and running, but I expect it next week," said Summers, adding the Cape County Commission recently authorized the option at its Sept. 14 meeting.

When the tracker is active, a voter may go to the county clerk's website and enter a last name plus a "sequence number" provided in the ballot envelope.

Re-register

If a voter has moved from one Missouri county to another, Summers said, re-registration may be done through the Missouri Secretary of State's website. For other ways to re-register, call the county clerk.

The last day to register for the general election is October 7.

Summers told county commissioners she expects voter participation as high as 85% for the general election.