The November general election is now less than three weeks away, and absentee voting by paper ballot is now underway for the handful of offices that will appear on next month’s ballot.

People can now make application through the County Clerk’s Office for a paper absentee. Those eligible to vote an absentee ballot include persons with disabilities or other medical conditions that will keep them from going to the polling place on election day and persons who will be out of the county on the day of the election.

Friday, October 19 would be the normal time frame for voters to make application to vote absentee in the clerk’s office, at least 12 working days preceding the election.

In Clinton County, however, the voting machine in the county clerk’s office will not be available for voters until next Monday, October 22, according to County Clerk Jim Elmore.

Elmore said last week that the machine would be set up this Thursday, October 18. However, since his office will be closed for the upcoming Foothills Festival, the first day persons can vote on the machine at the clerk’s office will be next Monday. This still leaves open the 12-working day period for the voting machine to be used since the County Clerk’s Office is open a half-day on Saturdays.

Persons eligible to cast ballots on the machine in the county clerk’s office are those registered voters who will be out of the county on election day. According to Elmore, there has already been a high amount of interest in absentee voting for the upcoming general election.

Also, October 24 through November 5 is the time frame for a voter and their spouse to request a paper ballot because of a medical emergency and October 30 is the last day to apply for a mail-in absentee ballot. It is also the last day for any voter who has received an absentee ballot by mail but knows at least seven 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 ballot to vote in person. The voter shall return the absentee ballot to the clerk’s office no later than seven days before the election.

Also, October 30 through November 5 is the window for members of the Armed Forces confined to a military base on election day, who learn of that confinement on election day may make application to vote absentee in the clerk’s office.

The higher than anticipated interest in the general election locally may be a variety of reasons, including an expected close presidential race and the fact that several local seats–including city seats and three school board seats involving several county precincts, will be on the ballot on November 6.

A complete listing of the sample ballot and precinct officers will be published in a later issue of the Clinton County News.