MEMPHIS, Tenn —
There have been lots of questions raised recently, mostly on social media, about absentee ballots for voters in Shelby County. Specifically, what’s taking so long for voters to get their ballots in the mail?
It’s a reasonable question – given all the talk in recent weeks about a slowdown with the U.S. Mail, but fear not. The ballots are on the way, according to election commission officials. Some 175 thousand paper ballots for the November election arrived at the election commission operations center yesterday. They are now being sorted by precinct and will be mailed out to voters starting tomorrow.
That’s good news considering the sheer volume of ballots. Already, the election commission has received nearly 20 thousand absentee requests – compared to just 8 thousand total during the 2016 election. That should explain the tremendous interest in this year’s presidential election – coupled with fears of voting in person because of COVID-19.
So, for those awaiting a paper ballot in their mailbox, be patient. When you do receive it, fill it out properly and mail it back immediately.
For others who want to vote by mail, but have not requested a ballot, please do it now. Don’t wait for the Oct. 27th deadline. That would be disastrous.
This will be an election like none other in our lifetime. And every eligible voter absolutely needs to vote, in person or absentee. It’s that crucial.
And that’s my point of view. I’m Otis Sanford, for Local 24 News.