By Becky Long
Publisher
Residents anxious to cast ballots in the 2024 general election will have the opportunity to do so in person when early voting opens Thursday, Oct. 17 at the Clay County Board of Elections.
Voting booths will be set up at the BOE office at 75 Riverside Circle in Suite 3, on the lower level of the former Community Services Building across from the library.
Early voting is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct 17 through Saturday, Nov. 2 when it is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In the meantime, absentee voting is well underway after a two-week delay for reprinting the ballots. That came after the court forced the state BOE to remove We the People candidate Robert F. Kennedy and his running mate from the ballot because he dropped out of the race.
Election Board Director Rebecca Hall indicated the delay caused little confusion. “People are doing good with them,” she said.
Their office had received 285 absentee requests as of Monday. “We’re still processing multiple times per day,” she said of ballot requests.
In the 2020 general election, 791 ballots were returned to the Clay County BOE. Including absentees, a total of 6,927 people voted in that election.
Registration is an important deadline approaching on Friday, Oct. 11. If a voter plans to cast a ballot in a precinct on Election Day you must register before 5 p.m. Friday. You cannot same-day register on Election Day, Nov. 5.
If you miss the Oct. 11 deadline, you may still register and vote or make changes, except for party affiliation, to your voter registration and vote during the early voting period.
Remember to bring your photo ID and proof of residency when registering.
To be eligible to register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen; live in the county where you are registering for at least 30 days prior to Election Day; be at least 18 years old by the date of the general election; and not be serving a felony sentence, including any probation, post-release supervision, or parole.
Hall recommends that if you are unsure about your registration, to stop by the BOE office or call (828) 389-6812. if you have questions.
Important dates:
Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).
Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).
Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
Nov. 5: Election Day.