Boone County sees steady turnout for no-excuse absentee voting
Erika McGuire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Voters in Boone County have taken advantage of in-person no-excuse absentee voting ahead of the Aug. 5 special election.
In-person, no-excuse absentee voting began on July 22 and Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said turnout has been steady so far.
“In-person that have come in the office to vote we’ve had almost 900,” Lennon said. “If you include the people who have already voted by mail or submitted an absentee ballot by mail thats another 800,”
By the time Election Day wraps up, Lennon expects voter turnout to fall between 8-9%.
Boone County election judge Trynton Roberts said turnout has been consistent each day, with voters showing up for a particular issue on the ballot.
“About 100 voters each day, it seems that Proposition 1 has been the biggest drive for voters to show up,” Roberts said.
Boone County began in-person no-excuse absentee voting in November 2022 and Lennon said over the years it has grown in popularity,
“We’ve seen a shift as we’ve gotten no-excuse absentee voting to be more a common place for voters we’ve seen more people choosing to cast their ballots earlier,” Lennon said. “So there’s not much of a relationship between basing turnout on what we’ve seen from no-excuse absentee. It’s just people choose to vote before Election Day more often than they used to,”
Lennon says, the November 2024 election marked the highest used of no-excuse absentee voting so far.
“Smaller elections like April elections and things that has shrunk down a little bit more to 15% of our overall turnout comes from absentee but that’s still triple what our absentee turnout used to be,” Lennon said. “We’re not seeing it affect overall turnout numbers we’re just seeing people that would have voted anyway are just taking advantage of the convince of being able to vote before election day,”
Boone County resident Susan Devaney has done in-person, no-excuse absentee voting and said it’s a good option for retirees.
“Convenient, you can put it on your calendar and you have a whole rang of time you can come,” Devaney said. “Its always busier on election and people wake up and all of a sudden think oh I have to go vote today,”
Every voter in Boone County will see Proposition 1 on their ballot, which proposes an expansion of the senior property tax freeze.
In April of last year, voters approved an exemption for senior citizens from certain property tax increases, which they have to apply to use each year.
Residents of Columbia’s Second Ward will vote to elect a new representative in a special election. The Columbia City Council called the election to fill the vacant Ward 2 seat after Lisa Meyer resigned earlier this year. The candidates on the ballot to fill the seat are Ken Rice and Vera Elwood.
Polls for in-person no-excuse absentee voting are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Boone County Government Center.
This Saturday, voters can cast their ballots at two additional locations: the Parkade Elementary School gymnasium from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and the Columbia/Boone County Health Department from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Voters are required to bring a valid photo ID to vote. Accepted forms include a Missouri driver’s license, U.S. passport or military ID.