Absentee voting more popular than ever

    More and more votes in the county are cast before election day, according to figures from Washington County Auditor Bill Fredrick. Fredrick said the number of absentee ballots requested has nearly doubled since the election in 2006. In 2006, nearly 7,600 people in the county cast a ballot, about 1,300 of which were absentee ballots. Fredrick said the number of absentee ballots requested this year is just over 2,500.

    ?It seems like the number of absentee ballots given out increases with every major election,? said Fredrick. 

    Oct. 29 is the last day to request an absentee ballot, and Nov. 1 is the last day to vote absentee, meaning the envelope must be postmarked by Nov. 1. The last day for pre-registration is tomorrow, Saturday. The auditor?s office will be open tomorrow from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. It will also be open the following Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Voters may cast an absentee ballot at the auditor?s office during this time or during its normal hours, which are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

    A voter cannot deliver an absentee ballot at a polling location on Election Day. However, the voter may ?surrender? the absentee ballot at the polling place for the precinct in which the voter is registered to vote. The voter will then be allowed to vote a regular ballot at the polling place.

    Fredrick said that years ago, voters were required to supply a reason they would be absent on Election Day to receive an absentee ballot. Fredrick said that is no longer necessary, so a voter need not provide a reason for requesting an absentee ballot.

    ?Slowly but surely, they?ve loosened the interpretation of what is a legitimate reason for requesting an absentee ballot,? said Fredrick. ?It used to list three or four criteria, such as you were going to be out of town or you were working, but at the end it said ?or for any other reason.? They finally eliminated any reference to needing a reason.?

    Fredrick said the advantage of pre-registration over election-day registration is that it is quicker and less of a hassle for the voter. Pre-registration entails filling out a voter registration form and signing a statement to authenticate the voter?s identity.

    ?You don?t have to show proof of residency or a photo ID,? said Fredrick. ?Pre-registration helps both the voter and the polling workers. If you do an election-day registration at the polling place, you have to have a current photo ID. If your current photo ID does not have your current address on it, you have to present a document which certifies your residence. It could be a utility bill or paycheck.?

    The auditor?s office has received numerous absentee ballots already, but Fredrick said they will wait until Election Day to count them. He said people often take their ballot home to fill it out while others do it right after receiving it at the auditor?s office.

For more, see our Oct. 22 print edition.