Early voting begins Oct. 13 at County Courthouse; Election Day is Nov. 3

Election season has begun and early voting is less than two weeks away. As the first day of early voting approaches, a few deadlines are also right around the corner. Registration by mail must be postmarked by Oct. 5 and conducted in person by Oct. 5 by 5 p.m. Absentee voter (ballot by mail/in person) is Oct. 23 for applications and submission by mail/in person on or before Nov. 3.

“Early voting for this election is encouraged. Given this election will have local, city and school races, the extra long ballot will take some time to complete,” Jodi Duck, Howard County Elections Administrator, said. “We do have an extra four days added to early voting along with more machines.”

The last time a General Election was held was in November 2016 and according to Duck, there were around 6,000 ballots cast in early voting. With the extended time frame and added machines, the projection is to see around 7,000 ballots cast during early voting this year.

“One of the biggest changes this year is that ballots will no longer be straight party options,” Duck said. “In addition, voters have three more locations, in addition to the normal four locations, to choose from when casting their ballots on Nov. 3 – Election Day.” Sample ballots are now available at the Howard County Election’s Office as well as the County webpage. Voters need to know their voting precinct, which can be found on their voter registration card. While there are no electronic devices allowed in the polling locations, Duck said voters will be allowed to bring sample ballots into the polling locations to help make selections. Per state law, no political attire is allowed inside the polling areas beyond the 100 foot mark and will cause delays in the line. “Voters are encouraged to study before heading to the polls. Study the candidates and the issues,” Duck said. “When casting your vote, voters are allowed to leave contests blank if needed.” With the nation still going through the Covid-19 pandemic, the Howard County Election’s Office has put an emergency plan of action into place for early voting and Election Day. The plan which was first implemented in March includes cleaning procedures and disposable stylus pens. While there is an exemption extended by the Governor regarding masks,