The voter registration deadline for the 2020 general election is swiftly approaching. Oct. 9 by 5 p.m. is the final day voters may register or make changes to their registration ahead of the November election. Absentee by mail voting began on Sept. 4 and around 440 mail-in ballots have already been received by the Yadkin County Board of Elections Office said Director Elaine Barnes. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is Oct. 27. Requests must be received by 5 p.m.
Barnes said the State Board of Elections website now offers an online portal through which mail-in ballots may be requested.
“The State Board has collaborated with Democracy Live to create an Absentee Ballot Request Portal to assist voters in requesting an absentee ballot,” said Barnes. “The portal also allows military and overseas (UOCAVA) voters to request and return their absentee ballot online. The portal can be found on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website, and also on the Yadkin County Board of Elections website as a link.”
Barnes said there is also a Voter Dashboard called BallotTrax where the voter can track their absentee by mail packets in this election.
Voters may also request an absentee by mail ballot, by visiting the county Board of Elections website, the Board of Elections office in person or by calling to request an absentee ballot. Some registered voters may also be receiving request forms from other agencies such as The Center for Voter Information.
“Those are legit,” Barnes said. “We are processing those absentee requests that are coming from third party groups.”
The county and nation at-large is expected to see a dramatic increase in the number of mail in ballots this year due to safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 579 Yadkin County voters cast their ballots by mail in the 2016 general election and that number has already more than doubled for requested absentee ballots. Barnes said approximately 1,900 mail-in ballot requests have been received so far, with more than 400 voters having already returned their ballots.
The deadline to return voted absentee by mail ballots is Nov. 3 for in person and Nov. 6 is the deadline for absentee ballots that have been postmarked by 5 p.m. on election day.
One-stop early voting
One Stop early voting is slated to begin on Oct. 15 with changes made to the location and how it will operate in order to allow for social distancing. This year’s One-stop early voting will take place at the Agriculture and Education building on 2051 Agricultural Way in Yadkinville, behind the Surry Community College-Yadkin Center, on Highway 601.
The hours will be Thursday, Oct. 15 through Friday, Oct. 30 during the weekdays from 8 a.m. until 7:30 p.m as well as the first two Saturdays in October, Oct. 17 and 24 from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., and the last Saturday, Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The following election day precincts have been moved to accommodate for social distancing:
• Boonville will vote at the Boonville Elementary School gym.
• Forbush will vote at the Forbush Fire Dept.
• North Fall Creek will vote at Fall Creek Elementary School gymnasium.
• North Liberty will vote at the Yadkinville Elementary School gymnasium.
• South Liberty will vote at the Courtney Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room.
Social distancing measures for in-person voting
“We will be following the rules for social distancing and wearing masks. The voters will be given their own pen to use throughout their voting process. We will have masks available for those who do not have one to wear inside the voting enclosure, and hand sanitizer for voter use,” added Barnes.
Lines are expected to be long on Election Day, Nov. 3 and potentially at the one-stop voting days scheduled in October.
“There will be long lines,” Barnes said. “Just be prepared to be in line because of the six-foot distancing.”
The State Board of Elections office is in the process of distributing 33,000 gallons of hand sanitizer for use at polling sites across the state as well as one-time use pens, face masks etc.
Just like many other things in 2020, voting will be a little different this year, but Barnes said she hopes voters will be patient with the process and reach out directly to the Board of Elections with any concerns.
“I know there’s a lot of hype and a lot of it is false information,” said Barnes about some media reports regarding the 2020 Election. “If they want to know anything at all, they need to contact their local board of elections office so we can give them the true facts.”
For more information call the Yadkin County Board of Elections office at 336-849-7907 or visit the State Board of Elections website www.ncsbe.gov/ or County Board of Elections at yadkincountync.gov/88/Board-of-Elections
Kitsey Burns Harrison may be reached at 336-679-2341 or on Twitter and Instagram @RippleReporterK.