Like what you’re reading? Tune into the KHOL Local Newscast, airing daily and available wherever you get your podcasts.
Voting rates in Teton County and throughout the state are up.
As of Friday, Oct. 18, over 2,000 residents have cast ballots, according to county clerk Maureen Murphy.
Murphy said the turnout is already higher than the August primary, which had its lowest voter participation rates since 2012. Also this year, the early voting window was reduced from 45 days to 28 days, due to legislation passed last year.
“It’s crazy. The trend is really people are getting out and voting,” Murphy said.
In Wyoming, residents can apply for absentee ballots either by mail or in person up until the day before the election. Online applications for mail-in ballots aren’t an option in the Cowboy State.
The United States Postal Service has made national headlines recently for lagging in delivery times in rural parts of the country. However, Murphy said it’s hard to tell if local resident votes will be impacted this election cycle.
“So far, we haven’t seen it because we just sent them out. But we actually have a weekly call with the USPS service this year, our secretary of state’s office, and then all the clerks in the state,” Murphy said.
To get tallied in time, a spokesperson for USPS said mail-in or absentee ballots should make it to the county clerk’s office by 7:00 p.m. on election day, which this year is Tuesday Nov. 5th.
USPS recommends voters send ballots at least a week before the election to be safe. Voters sending their ballot from outside of their county should consider mailing ballots sooner.
