BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Everyone in West Virginia is now allowed to vote with an absentee ballot. Despite coronavirus concerns, Raleigh County Clerk’s Office says absentee participation rates are surprisingly low.
As of today, the Raleigh County Clerk’s Office has received less than 2,000 absentee ballots. According to Raleigh County Clerk Daniel Moore, those numbers are extremely concerning.
“This election is for you the safety of the public. We don’t know if this virus is going to come back in another month. We don’t know what the weather is going to be. This is a good opportunity for people to relax at home and to get their ballots in,” said Moore.
Moore explained if things continue to move this slowly he fears there will be complications at the polls on election day.
“If you do it in the privately of your home you can take your time. You don’t have to be in a hurry. If it’s raining outside you don’t care. If you have air conditioning and its 90 degrees outside you don’t care. You can get your ballot finished and mailed in as soon as possible,” said Moore.
According to Moore another important reason to turn your absentee ballot in sooner than later will help the counting process.
“Another important thing we will not be able to tell who won the election that night. Before we had a machine counting. This time we have to hand count every ballot. It’s reliable it’ll be 4 or 5 days depending on how many ballots we get back in,” said Moore.
In order to vote absentee, you must complete an absentee ballot application that you should’ve already received in the mail. If you no longer have that application you can request another at 304-252-8681.