STL election officials encourage absentee voting due to ballot length

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Voter June McGrit cast her absentee ballot Tuesday at the St. Louis County Election Board in St. Ann. She regularly votes in elections but was surprised it took 45 minutes to read through the ballot this time.

“It was a long ballot,” she said.

The length of the ballot is why local election officials encourage eligible voters to cast ballots before the election.

Absentee voting with an excuse is taking place now. No-excuse absentee voting will begin on Oct. 22, two weeks before the November election.

Election officials in St. Louis City and St. Louis County will have satellite polling places available during the no-excuse absentee voting period.

“Any registered voter can vote,” Ben Borgmeyer, Democratic director of elections for St. Louis City, said. “We will have eight polling places open with evenings and Saturday hours trying to get people to utilize that.”

Training for poll workers, including election judges, is currently taking place at individual election authorities.

Rick Stream, Republican director of elections for St. Louis County, said the county election authority is currently in need of more Republican election judges. Anyone interested in becoming an election judge should contact their local election authority.

Workers in St. Louis County are paid for their training and receive $250 for working a 15-hour day on election day, according to Stream.

“If we don’t have poll workers, we can’t conduct elections,” he said.

He also encourages voters to fill out their sample ballot they’ll receive in the mail to help prepare them for what they’ll see when they enter the voting booth.

The deadline to register to vote for the November election was Tuesday. Eligible voters can register on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website .

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