Botetourt Registrar says Early voting going smoothly

Botetourt County Registrar Traci Clark told the Board of Supervisors at its September 22, 2020 meeting that the “no excuse absentee” voting had brought in 404 voters as of noon on that date.

Additionally, her office mailed out 1,199 absentee voter ballots, or “vote by mail” with October 23 being the last day to request a mail-in ballot. She indicated she expected her office to mail more absentee voter ballots in the coming weeks.

In comparison, in 2016, the Registrar’s Office mailed 807 absentee voter ballots in total.

Clark noted that the absentee ballots had added additional costs to the Registrar’s budget. Those costs, however, were not in the budget for this year. The first mailing cost over $1,100, she said.

Additionally, absentee ballots cost about $3.00 for purchasing, and therefore unused absentee ballots were an additional expense. The Registrar’s Office has received $56,687 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to pay for extra expenses in the November general election.

Clark said some of those funds were used to purchase additional scanners and electronic poll books as well as for personal protection equipment, such as shielding, for poll workers.

She reported that the recent remodeling of the office went well and was especially pleased that the office flooring has been returned to its original early 1900s woodwork.

She also noted that the voting records and all records in her office are now more secure because they have been moved from the county’s network and onto its own network. This was also the result of CARES funding.

In response to a query about voter fraud, Clark said that voter fraud is very low, “but we are mindful of it.” She did not anticipate any issues with the county’s voting system.

The Voter Registration Office is located at 2 East Main Street in Fincastle and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will have some Saturday hours to accommodate those who cannot get to the office during weekdays.                                          

       — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee , Voting Icon photo The Botetourt Bee