County clerks ready primary election day in Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Election officials have been preparing for weeks to ensure every vote is counted and we have a fair election.

It all started ten weeks ago, preparing the ballots and ensuring they were correct for every polling location. Next, bi-partisan teams of election judges are assigned then election teams test each election machine to ensure that it works correctly.

“We had bipartisan teams testing every single piece of election equipment. It’s going out there regarding the tabulators,” said Greene County clerk Shane Schoeller. “They test to make sure it tabulates correctly. It took 25 hours alone just to test one machine because there are so many candidates on the ballot and so many variations of how that ballot can be tabulated. So a lot of work goes into making sure it’s ready.”

With 21 republicans and 11 democrats eyeing Sen. Roy Blunt’s U.S. Senate seat, election officials expect a higher voter turnout than in past years.

“I think we’re going to see a turnout more similar to what we had in 2018, which was 37%,” said Schoeller. “Versus in 2010, we had 22.5%. So I think that’s why we’ll be in the mid-30s.”

Even though Missouri has a new law requiring a photo ID to vote, it doesn’t take effect until after the primary election. If you are planning on casting your ballot Tuesday, you will need to bring some form of identification with you.

“Most voter is going to bring their driver’s license or state photo ID. They can bring a non-driver’s license,” said Schoeller. “They can also bring a passport if they don’t have that photo ID. They can also bring their voter ID card. Students can bring their student ID card as long as that university or college is located here in our state. They can also bring the utility statement, or bank statement on those that just have the name of the voter and the address that is registered has to be a current statement.”

Voters can vote from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at their polling location. You can find sample ballots HERE if you want to look at the candidates and issues on your ballot before you head to the polls.

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