Voting can be a confusing process, especially when participating in absentee or mail-in voting rather than the traditional in-person vote. However, many people are opting for these other voting options this election, and some of them aren’t quite getting the facts on how to do it properly. Whether it’s confusion or intentional misinformation, voters need the facts in order to make sure their ballot is counted.

Some Drury students have already had a rough time trying to vote. Emilee Harless, who has decided to vote absentee this election, is one of them. She went to the County Clerk’s Office here in Springfield to make sure she was doing everything correctly, when the secretary there gave her a troubling bit of information. “When I initially asked her a question about mailing my request form, she told me that my reason for voting absentee was not valid,” Harless says. “I knew this wasn’t true, since I had done the same last semester.” She goes on to explain the significance of this interaction and why it worries her. “I feel like this could have been a bigger issue if I hadn’t had prior experience. It makes me worry about first-time voters. The lack of clarity throughout the entire process of voting absentee has the potential to defer citizens from voting.”

Unfortunately, Harless is not the only one to be given false information when trying to vote. In order to make sure your absentee or mail-in ballot makes it to the election office to be counted, here are the facts according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website, sos.mo.gov.

Absentee Ballot

If you are registered in a different county than the one you’re currently staying in, you should vote via absentee ballot. For example, if you are from Kansas City, but you’re in Springfield for school, you can vote absentee so you don’t have to travel all the way back to your home county on election day. Some people, like in the case of the secretary and Harless, might try to tell you that you are ineligible to vote absentee, but this may not be true. If you are not going to be in the county you are registered in on the day of the election, you are able to vote by absentee. You are also able to vote absentee due to illness, disability and religious reasons as well. Those who are in the at-risk group for COVID-19 are also able to vote absentee rather than in-person. Once you have your absentee ballot, which you receive by sending in a request form (the deadline was October 21st), it needs to be notarized and sent to the election office in your home county so that it will arrive before or on November 3rd. For absentee ballots, you have a legal right to have them notarized for free. Luckily for Drury students, we have a notary right here on campus. You can get your ballots notarized in the Dean of Students Office by Ms. Carolyn Mayer on any weekday from 9am-5pm. However, you must bring in some sort of identification such as a student ID or driver’s license. Once your ballot is notarized, it can be sent through mail to the election authority of your home county. If you’re unsure of how to find the address for yours, it can be found at sos.mo.gov. Just click on the Local Election Authority Contact Information link under the absentee voting section.

Mail-In Voting

The mail-in voting process is quite similar to the one for absentee voting. You will still fill out the ballot, have it notarized and sent to your local election authority so that it arrives by November 3rd. However, if you registered to vote through the mail and have never voted in person, you will have to send a copy of some sort of identification along with your ballot. Valid forms of identification include government ID (driver’s license, etc.), student ID, utility bills, bank statements, checks, or any government document that has your name and address.

Voting can be a scary process, especially if you’re a first-time voter and voting via mail. The best thing you can do is arm yourself with knowledge and be prepared so that nothing gets in the way of you casting your vote. If you have any other questions or concerns, visit sos.mo.gov to get the facts about elections in Missouri. Happy voting!

Article by Sammie Ellis