Cole County clerk helping quarantined voters cast ballots

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County's election authority is considering expanding into next week a service that allows quarantined voters to cast ballots.

The Cole County Clerk’s Office is hosting a curbside absentee voting event Friday and Saturday that will allow people who are in quarantine because of exposure to COVID-19 to vote safely from their vehicle. Friday hours are 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to noon.

Cole County Clerk’s Office staff will be wearing masks and gloves while administering and taking ballots, according to a news release. All curbside voters are required to wear a mask and stay in their vehicles during this process. Ballots will be protected -- voters have to fill out their ballots and place them into sealed bags.

Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer said the service allows people who have had to quarantine to vote safely without putting others at risk.

Korsmeyer said depending on the turnout of this curbside voting event, his office might host another one Monday if there are still people who need to vote.

He said the clerk's office is working with hospitals to find a way for patients to vote, as well. Hospitals in Jefferson City have limited visitors.

The Cole County Health Department does not publish numbers of county residents in quarantine. However, as of Thursday the county had 335 active cases. More than 2,400 people in Cole County have recovered from the virus.

Check back for more on this developing story and watch ABC 17 News at 5 and 6.