ST. CHARLES, Mo. (KMOX) - Amidst a surge in early voting, St. Charles County Election Authority says they are making some changes.
Since no-excuse absentee voting began in the state of Missouri on Oct. 22, the county has seen over 25,000 votes already cast.
Kurt Bahr, St. Charles County Director of Elections, says that his team had planned on up to 2,500 voters per day during the two weeks of no-excuse absentee voting, but on Monday, the main office alone had over 3,500 come through.
Amidst the surge, St. Charles County says the satellite voting site at Element Church in Wentzville, Missouri will open to voters for one extra day on Monday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The last day at Element was originally planned for Friday, Nov. 1.
The Element Church will also see more staff and equipment has been added, to process voters more quickly. The church will see 60% more staff, 50% more voter check-in stations, and double the ballot printers.
In addition, St. Charles County Election Authority says to fix parking and traffic issues at Election Authority office, they have added off-site parking with a shuttle bus. St. Charles County voters can park at The Crossing at Mid Rivers, located at 6000 West Geneva Drive. The shuttle parking is about five minutes from the Election Authority office.
"This is the first presidential election where no-excuse absentee voting has been part of the process in Missouri," says Bahr, St. Charles County Director of Elections. "The turnout is way, way more than anticipated. It far exceeded any projection we had. And not just us — other counties are seeing the same thing."
Bahr reminds voters they need to bring an approved photo ID with them to cast their ballot. Anyone who is in line by 4:30 p.m. at the Election Authority or 3 p.m. at Element Church will be able to vote.