Jones County election data released

     With Election Day two weeks away, County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Janine Sulzner released data concerning early voting and absentee ballots coming out of Jones County.

     As of Oct. 19, nearly 16 percent of the county’s 13,053 registered active voters have requested absentee ballots, for a total of 2,052 ballots. The highest rate stems from the Monticello 4 precinct, with 24 percent requested.

     Forty-two percent of the absentee ballot requests have come from voters registered as Republicans, who make up 30 percent of the county’s active registered voters.

     Thirty-one percent of absentee ballots requests came from voters registered as Democrats, who make up 23 percent of the county’s active registered voters.

     Twenty-seven percent of absentee ballots requests came from voters not registered with any party, who make up 46 percent of the county’s active registered voters.

     Less than 1 percent of absentee ballots requests came from voters registered as Libertarian, who make up less than 1 percent of the county’s active registered voters.

     Voters have already voted and returned about 46 percent of the 2,052 absentee ballots issues in Jones County.

     “The absentee ballot request rate in Jones County is very close to the request rate in the historic high 2010 mid-term election,” shared Sulzner. “I would expect we will issue another 1,000 absentee ballots in the next two weeks.”

     The Jones County Auditor’s Office will be open until 5 p.m. on Saturday. Oct. 27, which is the last day that absentee ballots can be mailed to voters. After that date, absentee/early ballots may only be voted in the Auditor’s Office, which will also be open for voting activities on Saturday, Nov. 3 until 5 p.m.

     Sulzner explained mid-term voter activity is typically about 70 to 75 percent of presidential election year activity.