As the dust cleared after Tuesday’s general election, Wright County Auditor Betty Ellis was happy with how the process in the county went. It was a remarkably busy last several months and voter turnout numbers added to that. According to Ellis’s records, turnout for this election stood at about 76.3% with 6,308 of the county’s 8,261 registered voters casting ballots. This is up a healthy amount from the 2016 election with 70.4% voter turnout.
A big difference this time around was the dramatic increase in absentee/mail-in ballots and early in-person voting. In 2016, 2,256 people in the county voted absentee/mail-in, while this year that number went up to 3,378, a 33% increase. Ellis said this certainly presented challenges, but she and her office were up to the task. “Due to the pandemic, this election as been unlike any before, however from a process standpoint, we are doing it by the book as we have every year,” Ellis emphasized. “It is my job to ensure vote counting is done transparently, securely, and accurately.”
To accomplish that, Ellis had a large team of people who processed the absentee ballots. “We had a dedicated group of election officials that worked diligently to open and count ballots,” she explained. They could not start that work until election day, and though it was a long, meticulous day, Ellis was satisfied the team did a great job. There were even poll-watchers involved in absentee ballot processing. “It is my job to ensure vote counting is done transparently, securely, and accurately,” added Ellis.
There were of course a few extra challenges involved in this election. One thing that the auditor could not have foreseen about this election months ago was the need to cater to voters with a concerning infectious illness, COVID-19. About that challenge, Ellis said, “With the increase in cases of COVID-19 in Wright County, many citizens planned to go to the polls to vote but were put into quarantine or tested positive. Again, my top priority is to ensure we have a safe and secure election, both for voters and my staff. I want to be clear that everyone who contacted my office, whether quarantined or positive from COVID, did have an opportunity to vote. I implemented curb-side voting for these citizens, and we delivered ballots out to them so they may vote safely in their own vehicle.”
Ultimately, Ellis, her office and the poll officials tackled an unprecedented election in an unprecedented time. Lucky for Wright County, they were up to the challenge.
