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St. Francois County elections office reports about 700 early voters, outlines ballot and accessibility plans
Summary
The county elections official reported roughly 700 early voters and explained testing, 89 ballot versions, on-site registration updates and new accessible voting machines ahead of the municipal and school-board election.
St. Francois County elections staff reported that about 700 people had voted early and outlined steps to manage a complex election with 89 ballot versions and new voting equipment.
The county’s elections representative (Clerk, S2) told commissioners the election center has handled roughly 700 early voters so far and emphasized testing and verification procedures for machines. “We have, about 700 voters so far,” S2 said, and added that “There are 89 versions of the ballot this time,” meaning each polling configuration must be checked before voting.
Why it matters: multiple ballot versions complicate testing and on-site operations, and the county said it has new machines allowing on-site registration changes and improved accessibility for voters with disabilities. S2 described a bipartisan verification step: after a balance run-through, an independent Democrat and Republican must verify the printout before the machine is cleared for use.
Details: S2 said the election center is open for early voting through Tuesday and that on election day voters may use any polling place. The new machines permit address and registration changes at the site, a change designed to reduce post-election changes by phone. S2 said staff handled about 4,000 registration changes in the prior November election and expects heavy phone and supervisor workloads at larger precincts during the current cycle.
Accessibility and logistics: S2 noted the county replaced older, non‑ADA‑compliant ballot drop receptacles and that new machines improved independence for voters using mobility devices: “I watched somebody yesterday in a motorized wheelchair go up and was able to put the ballot in…,” S2 said. The county also said community partners (Life Center) will help deliver voters to sites where needed.
Next steps: filing for candidates continues through the office’s posted hours; S2 invited candidates and residents to contact the election office with questions and said staff will continue machine testing and site preparation through election day.
