Election Day is Fast Approaching

The next General Election will be held Tuesday, November 8th. Polls will open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM. Anyone arriving at a polling location after 6:00 PM will not be eligible to vote. As long as you are in line to vote before 6:00 PM, you will have the opportunity to vote. If you have not already registered to vote, you have until October 11th to register. If you do not know if you are registered to vote, you can check your status through the State Board of Elections online.

Sample ballots are already available on-line. Since there are a variety of state and local elections this year in addition to the federal elections, you will need to visit the Jefferson County Clerk website to see the sample ballot that is appropriate for  your location. Once at the website, you will need to type in the address for which you are registered to vote.

If you cannot vote on election day, absentee voting has already started. Voters who cannot possibly make it to the polling location due to work, illness, or any number of other reasons, can vote early by going to the new Election Center located on W. Ormbsy Ave. To see if you qualify for early voting, visit the Jefferson County Clerk’s website. If you qualify to vote early, you may qualify for a mail-in ballot. Applications can be located online and applications are accepted until November 1st.

As a registered voter, you have certain rights and responsibilities, including access to voting assistance, to vote in privacy, follow all federal and state voting laws and to keep your voter registration up-to-date. It is a crime to impersonate another person to vote, to vote under a false name, to vote more than once in an election and to influence another person’s vote through the use of force, threat or bribery. Anyone can report election fraud by reporting it to the election officers at a polling location, calling the county or state board of elections, or contacting the state’s Attorney General directly at 800-328-8683.