Voting by mail seems reasonably popular here in Brown County. Auditor Cathy McNickle tells the Aberdeen American News that the courthouse has already received ballots from 14% of Brown County voters:
McNickle said 4,476 absentee ballot requests had been submitted, and 3,131 ballots had been returned. Brown County has 22,921 active registered voters. Ballots can be returned in the mail or dropped off at the Brown County Auditor’s Office, McNickle said, but if voters are mailing ballots, they must arrive at the auditor’s office on or before Tuesday.
…Because of the high volume of absentee ballots, McNickle said a team of people will be used to process those ballots and get them ready for counting on Election Day. Anyone interested should contact her office at 605-626-7110 by noon Monday [Elisa Sand, “With Other Voting Options, Polls Not Expected to Be Busy Tuesday,” Aberdeen American News, 2020.05.27].
Total turnout in Brown County for the 2016 primary was 21.6%. Turnout for the 2018 primary in Brown County, which included an exciting local sheriff’s race on top of the marquee Noem–Jackley battle, was 29.67%.
Do you think turnout will be higher this time? Will the Medical Moron/GOP COVID-19 fiasco and economic incompetence get voters to the polls in Aberdeen? Other parts of SD?
Are you on the ballot, Mr. H?
Debbo, I don’t know if we can look at the primary for signs that turnout will be higher. The primary doesn’t offer much to vote on this time around. Republicans have Senate and House primaries, but I don’t think Borglum’s billboard on the overpass or Liz May’s handful of yard signs around town have done much to whip up excitement. The city election might be a bigger draw this time, since Schaunaman will be pushing his GOP pals to get out and oust corruption-fighter Mike Olson… but that’s only in the southeast part of town, not countywide.
Grudz, if I were on the ballot, turnout would be notably higher.