With the Primary Election now just a week away, there’s little time remaining for residents to receive an absentee ballot and return it before the June 23 deadline. Officials with the Daviess County Clerk’s Office said those wishing to absentee vote should mail their ballots in as soon as possible.
Residents had until 10:59 p.m. Monday to apply for an absentee ballot, but that won’t be the last opportunity for people to cast their votes. In-person voting can be done at the Daviess County Courthouse on weekdays until June 22, according to Chief Deputy Clerk Richard House.
For voters waiting until Election Day, the Owensboro Sportscenter will be the lone polling site this year.
Those who applied for an absentee ballot via the online portal will have until June 23 to either postmark their ballots via mail service or turn them in at the Daviess County Courthouse. Ballots will not be received after 6 p.m., but House said the Courthouse doors will remain open until that time to ensure all ballots are accounted for.
As with previous elections, House said the Clerk’s Office saw a surge of absentee ballot applications come in before the Monday night deadline. Last weekend alone, another 3,000 residents requested ballots, he said.
“That will put the number of requested absentee ballots up to over 17,000,” he said.
House has also seen better numbers regarding completed absentee ballots over the last few days, saying he counted another 1,000 come through the mail on Monday.
There is a short turnaround window for those who applied for a ballot on the last day, but House said the Clerk’s Office worked out a deal with the United States Postal Service to ensure that ballots are pushed through the system quickly.
Absentee ballots completed by City residents will circulate through Owensboro’s USPS locations, while absentee ballots submitted by County residents will go through Evansville, he said.
“The mail should be pretty quick, but we’d like to get as many processed as we can before the June 23 deadline,” he said.
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