Deadline approaches for requesting absentee ballot by mail for Aug. 5 election

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Voters in Greene County have until Wednesday, July 23, to request an absentee ballot by mail for the special election on August 5.

Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller says all requests for an absentee ballot by mail must be made by 5 p.m. Wednesday. To obtain an absentee ballot, voters can download an application form on the Greene County website, fill it out and return it by email to absenteevoting@greenecountymo.gov.

Mail-in ballots have to be completed and received by the Greene County Clerk's Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

Schoeller says that to vote absentee by mail, voters must state one of the following reasons:

• Absence on Election Day from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which such voter is registered to vote;
• Incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability on Election Day, including a
  person who is primarily responsible for the physical care of a person who is incapacitated or
  confined due to illness or disability and resides at the same address;
• Religious belief or practice;
• Employment as an election authority or by an election authority at a location other than such
  voter’s polling place, a first responder, a health care worker, or a member of law enforcement;
• Incarceration, provided all qualifications for voting are retained;
• Certified participation in the address confidentiality program established under RSMo 589.660 to 589.681 because of safety concerns.

No-excuse absentee voting is also available in person beginning July 22 at the Greene County Archives at 1126 N. Boonville Ave. in Springfield. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. up to and including the day before the election, as well as on Saturday, August 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.