By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
Numbers of early voters are forecasting a record turnout next Tuesday, and local election officials are adding more workers and making other preparations to handle the large number of residents expected to go to the polls.
A 76 percent voter turnout is being predicted in Missouri by Robin Carnahan, secretary of state.
Bonnie Earl, Jasper County clerk, said she agrees, based on numbers of new registrations and absentee ballots cast.
“I have seen personally people in their 60s and 80s come into the clerk’s office to register, who said they would be voting for the first time. A lot of people see it as the most important presidential election of their lifetimes.”
Earl and Kay Baum, Newton County clerk, are increasing poll workers for election day. More workers are being added in Cherokee County, Kan., and Ottawa County, Okla., though officials in those counties believe earlier voting allowed in the states could relieve an election day onslaught.
Nearly 5,300 absentee ballots have been cast so far in Jasper County and about 2,600 in Newton County.
“We had 2,250 total in 2004, and we still have three days to go,” Baum said.
In November 2006, Jasper County had about 1,700 absentee votes cast, and the turnout was 45.6 percent.
More election workers will be staffing the polls on Nov. 4, the clerks said.
“We’ve added more workers, and in some precincts, we’re splitting up the lines to help move people through,” Earl said.
In addition to those checking registrations and handing out ballots, Earl said she is stationing a “greeter” at each precinct in an attempt to help speed the lines.
“They’ll welcome them and ask them to get their voter card ready, answer any questions about acceptable identifications and hand out copies of the issues on the ballot so voters can study them while they’re in line,” she said.
In Cherokee County, Kan., there also will be more workers at the polls, though Sandra Soper, county clerk, said early voting may reduce numbers who go to the polls on Election Day.
More than 100 residents have voted early, and nearly 900 have mailed in absentee ballots, she said. Early voting will continue through noon on Monday.
“Normally we have 15 to 20 people do the early voting,” she said. “On Election Day, we’ll have extra workers at Riverton, which is our biggest precinct.”
In Oklahoma, early voting will be held at election board offices from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Monday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
“We think we’ll get a lot of early voters, because we’re getting a lot of calls,” said Connie Payton, assistant secretary with the Ottawa County Election Board.
Jasper County residents who have not voted since the last presidential election have not used the optical scan voting equipment purchased by the county several years ago. For that reason Earl set up machines for sample voting in the county courthouse at Carthage and the courts building in Joplin, so those who wanted could familiarize themselves with the equipment.
Earl said she also has added extra teams of bipartisan judges who will travel throughout the county making sure all the polling places have ballots and the supplies they need. In 2006, several precincts ran out of ballots, forcing the use of photocopied ballots. Earl said she has ordered enough ballots for a 95 percent voter turnout.
Absentee ballots
In Missouri, absentee ballots may be cast today, Friday and Monday. County clerks’ offices also will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
