Polls to be open for in person voting for the general election

The Nov. 3 election is fast approaching and the Washington County Clerk’s office is working on getting absentee ballots put together and sent out.
 During the May primary election there was no live voting at the polls. Due to social distancing and concern of the risk to poll workers and the public from coronavirus, Governor Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney made the decision to conduct the May 19 primary election by absentee voting.
 The Idaho State Legislature held a special session in August to discuss the November election. Senate Bill No. 1001 dealt with when the county clerks could open and prepare absentee ballots to be counted.
 Due to the large number of absentee ballots that have been requested from voters it would make it a difficult task for the clerk’s office to open all ballots the day of the election and have them counted in a timely fashion.
 Bill No. 1001 allows the clerk’s office to begin opening the envelopes, in a secure manner, seven days prior to the election and will be counted after the polls are closed on election night.
 In Washington County, absentee ballots will be opened and counted on Election Day.
 The bill that was drafted by the Idaho House of Representatives addresses in-person voting.
 House Bill No. 1 allows county clerks to have at least one polling place available for those who wish to vote in person on the day of the election.
 All polling locations in Washington County will be open to the public on Election Day.
 To allow for social distancing, Precinct 3, South Weiser and Precinct 6, East Weiser electors will vote at the Vendome Events Center instead of at their regular polling location at St. Agnes Catholic Church.
 Voters in the Midvale precinct will vote at Midvale Veteran’s Hall. All other locations will remain the same.
 Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
 The county will have the DS200 precinct-based ballot scanner and vote tabulators at each precinct in the county. The equipment will replace the time-consuming practice of poll workers counting the ballots by hand. The scanner will scan the ballots, record the results in a database and print out the election results. Each precinct will also retain the paper ballots in a locked box as required by Idaho Code.
 Voters will fill in ovals with a black pen next to their candidate of choice. Voters will then insert their completed ballot into the scanner and tabulator. The device has a touch screen and display, which provides voters with instructions and immediate feedback after they insert a ballot.
 The technology in the scanner and tabulator ensures that in the event a ballot is poorly marked the ballot is read accurately and consistently, protecting voter intent. If a ballot is marked wrong, such as when too many ovals are filled out, the machine will reject the ballot. Poll officials can void the bad ballot and issue a new one to a voter.
 Due to the primary election in June being an all-mail election, over 1,800 voters also requested an absentee ballot be sent to them for the November general election. Washington County Clerk Donna Atwood urges anyone who requested an absentee ballot but would now like to vote in person to contact her office so an absentee ballot will not be mailed. Voters not sure if an absentee ballot was requested may also contact the clerk’s office to verify.
 Absentee ballots are scheduled to be sent out no later than Sept. 18 to military and overseas citizens, and by Sept. 30 for all other absentee ballot requests. There is a cost to the county to send out the ballots, so to save time and expense call the clerk’s office at 208-414-2092.
 Voter registrations may be received by the County Clerk until 5 p.m. on Oct. 9, 2020.
 Applications for absentee ballots must be received by the County Clerk by 5 p.m. Oct. 23.
 Persons may vote absentee at the County Clerk’s office until Oct. 30 at 5 p.m.