It’s a trend

Tue, 10/25/2016 - 8:45am

Sarah Thompson

Camden Town Clerk Katrina Oakes holds up an absentee ballot. (Photo by Sarah Thompson)

Rockland City Clerk Stuart Sylvester casts an absentee ballot. (Photo by Sarah Thompson)

(Photo by Sarah Thompson)

Camden Town Clerk Katrina Oakes holds up an absentee ballot. (Photo by Sarah Thompson)

Rockland City Clerk Stuart Sylvester casts an absentee ballot. (Photo by Sarah Thompson)

(Photo by Sarah Thompson)

CAMDEN — This year, Camden residents are not waiting until the final hour to show their interest in this year’s election. As of October 24, the town of approximately 4,100 citizens has issued more than 1,000 ballots, according to Camden Town Clerk, Katrina Oakes.

“It’s just a steady stream,” she said. “And the volume of new voter registrations is also incredible.”

For many years, voting ahead of election day by absentee ballot has been an accepted practice by U.S. citizens incapable of getting to the polls. Yet this year, awareness of the alternative option, postcards sent by the competing parties, and the ease of the process have other locals following suit. In many places, the ballot can be requested, filled out, and cast on the spot.

Aside from those residents who have absolutely made up their minds as how they will vote, and others with special circumstances keeping them away on election day, Oakes has no exact explanation for the uptick in absentee ballot requests.

Some members of the community have mentioned early voting as a way to avoid long lines at the polls. Others have expressed fears of potential election day violence between supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

According to Rockland City Clerk Stuart Sylvester, presidential elections always have a high voter turn-out, and the percentage of people voting absentee has been steadily increasing over the years. In recent years the percentage of people voting absentee has risen to about 35 percent of the overall voting populace.

“There does seem to be added interest this year with the current political climate,” he said. “In 2012, through October 19 we had received 365 requests for absentee ballots. Through the same period this year we have received 596, so there is a marked increase in the number of requests received to this point.”

Total absentee ballots in Rockland for Nov. 6, 2012 was 1,136, according to Sylvester, who, like the other municipal clerks questioned, has not seen any direct connection between the recent presidential debates and the increase in the early ballot casting.

“It’s been pretty steady since applications become available,” he said.

By October 20, Union had issued 150 absentee ballots, as compared to a total of 240 in 2012, according to Union Town Clerk Marcy Corwin.

And Belfast City Clerk Amy Flood has seen many of the party-based applications come in.

Yet Flood, who wasn’t in this job role during the last presidential elections, is not thwarted by the increase in awareness of the absentee option.

“At this time, we are on track for the amount that I was prepared to issue,” she said.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com