While it’s true Election Day isn’t until Nov. 5, that doesn’t mean voters have to wait till then to cast their ballot.
No excuse absentee voting opens in Platte County on Tuesday, Oct. 22. That means you can go vote early without any restriction on your ability to do so–you don’t need an excuse like you would for normal absentee voting.
Beginning Oct. 22, early voting can be done at the Platte County Board of Elections office, located at 2600 NW Prairie View Road in Platte City. Phone number at the office, should you have questions, is 816.858.4400.
“Along with our regular hours of 8-5 Monday through Friday, we will be here until 7 p.m. on Oct. 22 and Oct. 30,” says Chris Hershey, one of the directors for the Platte County Board of Elections.
“We’ll also be here from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 2,” Hershey said.
No excuse absentee is just like voting in person at your polling site. The only difference is this is done at the board of elections office. Voters must show an approved photo ID issued by Missouri or the federal government, receive their ballot, mark it at a voting booth and put it into the scanner/ballot box to be tallied.
The early voting option has become quite popular in recent elections, local officials say.
“We have received a lot of calls about the no excuse period and expect it to be a popular choice for voters,” Hershey said on Monday.
He said election officials are already seeing around 100 voters per day for the regular style of absentee voting.
In the August primary election, during the two week period of no excuse absentee voting there were 1,134 Platte County voters doing their civic duty early. That compares to 292 votes cast during the four weeks of regular absentee voting for the August primary, Hershey said.
The Nov. 5 election ballot is lengthy, with many candidates and issues to be decided. So long in fact, that Hershey strongly recommends voters take a look at a sample ballot which is available from the Platte County Board of Elections website. Go to this link: plattecountymovotes.gov/ballot
Also, The Landmark plans to print the entire Platte County ballot in next week’s edition, dated Oct. 23.
In this edition of The Landmark, you can find wording for all the statewide Constitutional Amendment questions that will be on the Nov. 5 ballot. Those questions range from abortion rights to legalizing sports wagering, as well as other amendments.
Since this is a presidential election year, expect a heavy voter turnout in Platte County. Voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election was a whopping 82.67 percent, Hershey said, with absentee turnout of 26.5 percent.
In the November 2020 general election, some polling sites in Platte County developed long lines of voters. This was the case at the Seven Bridges precinct south of Platte City, where mid-day some voters waited in line more than an hour.
In addition to heavy Election Day voting at the last presidential election, absentee voting was off the charts.
“The election of 2020 was extraordinary for the amount of mail-in absentee ballots cast and the general interest in absentee voting due to the pandemic,” Hershey explained.
There are no changes to any polling site locations for this election.
“We haven’t made any changes to poll sites for this election. Everyone should be voting the same place as they did earlier this year, assuming they haven’t moved,” Hershey stated.
