INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Jackson County is seeing historic participation for the in-person absentee and mail-in voting period leading up to the general election in two weeks.
According to figures updated on Oct. 19 from the Eastern Jackson County election office in Independence, more than 20,500 mail-in ballots have been requested. More than 13,600 ballots have been cast in-person at absentee voting locations.
Totaling all absentee requests and mail-in requests, the election office has sent out more than 42,000 ballots. The deadline to request an absentee or mail-in ballot is Wednesday at 5 p.m.
"Early voting versus absentee voting - Kansas has early voting, Missouri has absentee. You have to meet one of seven reasons to vote absentee. When you walk into our absentee office in person, you have to select a reason why you’re voting absentee. A majority of ours are choosing COVID," said Tammy Brown, the election board director at the Independence office for the county.
The Kansas City Election Board, serving those with city addresses in Jackson County, told 41 Action News it has had more than 18,000 in-person absentee voters as of Monday.
Voters can use the in-person absentee option until 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, the day before Election Day.