More than 1,100 Boone County residents cast ballots during no-excuse absentee voting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
About 320 people cast their ballots over the weekend during no-excuse absentee voting for April elections in Boone County.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said that since no-excuse absentee voting began Tuesday, more than 1,100 people have voted.
For many voters, casting their ballots early provides peace of mind.
Lauren Williams, who has lived in Columbia for 20 years, emphasized the importance of participating in this election.
"I feel like there's a lot at stake. I love my city, and so I want to make sure that my vote happened and that it counted," Williams said.
On Sunday, voters flocked to Douglass High School in Columbia to cast their early votes. Some voters expressed concerns about safety and uncertainty leading up to Election Day.
" I mean, the political climate is you know, very hard right now. So you know, just avoiding long lines and like hostile environment because you never know what can happen,"Columbia resident Julian Richardson said.
Richardson was accompanied by his mother, Suzette Miller, who also opted to vote early due to health concerns. Miller has difficulty standing for long periods and waiting until Election Day could have meant standing in long lines.
“I don't know what's going to happen to me between now and Election Day. I could be sick or something like that, and it feels very important to me to cast my vote in this election,” Williams said, becoming emotional as she spoke about the importance of having her voice heard.
Suzette Miller has lived in Columbia for over 50 years.
She said she hopes her vote will lead to improvements in her community, expressing concern over the lack of development on Columbia’s north side.
"I don't know why we're limited to growth over there, but it's just like in a standstill and there's nothing for us to reach out to and go to unless you want to go to the southside that being doctor's office, more business and it's just not nothing really to me,"Miller said.
Williams remains optimistic about the candidates she supported, believing they have the community’s best interests at heart.
“The people I voted for today I believe have the interest of our city at heart,” Williams said. “They love our community. They see the good that's being done. They've done good already and shown that they have the experience and the qualifications, along with the data to back their decisions, to be good leaders in our community.”
For those who have not yet cast their ballots, additional voting opportunities are available next weekend.
Voting will take place at the Southern Boone Public Library and the Centralia Public Library on April 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Boone County Health Department will also be open for voting on April 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
