St. Charles County, MO
11/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/01/2024 10:30
Ready to Go for the November Election
They've been lining up around the block like the opening day of Star Wars.
Thousands of people have already voted absentee and by the end of Nov. 5, more than 200,000 voters are expected to have cast their ballots here. After no-excuse absentee voting opened Oct. 22, more than 20,000 voters cast their ballot in the first five days alone, eclipsing traditional absentee voting numbers.
Director of Elections Kurt Bahr says it's been a historic year already, with the number of registered voters topping 300,000 for the first time ever.
"I think that shows how engaged people are," Bahr says. "St. Charles County voters know their vote counts and their vote will be counted."
Bahr is predicting 75% of registered voters in the county-or about 225,000-will vote in the election.
"I'm encouraged by the turnout for absentee voting," Bahr says. "I hope it eases the lines on Election Day, but I'm mostly proud to see how many engaged voters we have who were ready to cast their ballot and participate in the election."
Election integrity has been a priority this year, as Bahr seeks to raise awareness about the many safeguards in place to ensure the accuracy of the vote count:
- On Oct. 24, the voting machines were tested for accuracy in an event open to the public and the news media.
- On Nov. 7, there will be a hand count of random races in random precincts to ensure the numbers match the machine count.
- On Nov. 18, a verification board will meet to certify the results.
"It's been a busy year," Bahr says, "and it's almost over. I just want everyone to know they can trust our election team to get it right."
The team includes a full-time staff supplemented by some 60 temporary employes who helped with the public. Bahr's staff also hired and trained 1,000 election judges (with equal numbers Republican and Democrats) to run the County's 105 polling places on Nov. 5.
Bahr says the top ballot issues he's hearing from St. Charles County voters have been the presidential race and Amendment 3.