ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – Increased no-excuse absentee early voting accessibility meant polling sites were packed to the brim.
Voters appear to have taken advantage of the new no-excuse absentee voting law and come out in droves.
“When we got here, the line was stretched out the door, but we were in and out in 15 minutes, so yeah, no problem,” said Chip Block, a voter. “The easiest it’s ever been.”
“I just want to get ahead of it and just know that we’ve done our voting. That we got our votes in,” said Joseph Mercante.
In the last two weeks, St. Charles County election officials estimate more than 21,000 people cast their ballots during the no-excuse absentee voting period, including Monday. The results would not be revealed until after the election.
The increased numbers are a good sign, given the low voter turnout in previous years.
“We had 2,200 people on Friday, and I think we had even more than that today,” said Kurt Bahr, election director for St. Charles County. “So, I think that not only have we exceeded the 2018 number of absentee voters, but we may have even surpassed 2016, even though that was a presidential election year.”
The weight of this year’s midterm election is driving many to the polls, no matter the party.
“I think people are pretty excited to vote because this is a very pivotal election,” said Jenna Block.
“We want to make sure we get the right people to vote to make the right changes for our country,” said William Cooper.
In St. Charles County, there are 106 polling centers.
Bahr emphasized that even though there have not been any reports of election worker intimidation or harassment in Missouri or St. Charles County, there will be safety precautions in place on election day.
Every polling center across Missouri will be open on November 8 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. For those voting on election day, be prepared and make sure you have a photo ID with you.
To find more information about polling places in St. Charles County, click here.
You can find information about midterm resources here.