The November general election is now less than three weeks away and although no one will know any winners until the votes are counted on election night, there is a lot of “early voting” underway across the nation, in the form of states that allow for early voting days and those people who have to vote by absentee ballot due to being out of their respective counties, being deployed, or medically unable to get to a voting place on election day.

County Clerk Shelia Booher announced Monday that the “walk-in” voting machine in her office was set to officially begin accepting walk-in voters as of this past Tuesday, October 18. Walk-in voting is designed for voters who will be out of the county on election day.

People may vote on the absentee ballot in the clerk’s office during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 noon through and including Monday, November 7 if that voter will not be in the county election day.

In relation to the walk-in voting machine, the election company, Kentuckiana Election Services, has checked and given the go-ahead to all the voting machines that will be set up in the courthouse as well as the 13 precincts in Clinton County.

Booher also noted that all election precinct officers and officials met Monday afternoon of this week and received official certified training in preparation for election day.

The county clerk expects a good turnout at the polls next month from Albany and Clinton County voters, in part because of the presidential and federal elections, and also because some local contested races will also appear on the ballot.

As of Monday of this week, October 17, some 150 voters had applied for applications to vote absentee, the first process in casting an absentee ballot. All but 46 of those application requests had been returned.

Also as of Monday, a total of 104 absentee paper ballots had been issued and 12 of those ballots had been returned, basically meaning voting is “underway” by Clinton County registered voters.

The deadline for non-registered voters to get registered prior to the fall election has already passed, Booher noted. Registration books are now closed until November 14.

Some other dates to remember if voting absentee:

* Voters and his/her spouse has 14 days (starting Oct. 21) to request a paper absentee ballot because of a medical emergency.

* November 1–Last day to apply for a mail-in absentee ballot and applications must be received that day.

* November 1–Last day for any voter who has received an absentee ballot by mail but who knows at least seven (7) days before election day that he or she will be in the county on election day and who has not voted the absentee ballot to cancel his or her absentee ballot and return it to the clerk’s office.

* November 1-7–Members of the Armed Forces confined to a military base on election day who learn of that confinement within seven days or less of an election may make application to vote absentee in the county clerk’s office.

Election day is Tuesday, November 8 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

County Clerk Booher strongly encourages all registered voters to exercise their privilege to vote on election day. “I encourage everyone to get out and vote in this extremely important election,” she said.

Booher also stressed that anyone who has any questions about which precincts they are to vote in, their eligibility, or questions about absentee voting or the voting process in general, to feel free to call her office at 387-5943.