In just a few days, voters will go to the polls and cast their ballots in the General Election.

A news release says a big change this year will be the large number of votes cast prior to Election Day. Passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Senate Bill 631 expanded access to absentee ballots to persons whose medical conditions pose increased risk of contracting COVID-19, and also created a mail-in option for all Missouri voters.

This year, the secretary of state received 60,748 requests for mail-in ballots prior to the October 21 deadline. The demand for absentee ballots was even greater, with 631,615 ballots requested as of earlier this week. That’s more than double the number of absentee ballots provided in 2016. To put those numbers in perspective, there are more than 4.3 million registered voters in Missouri. More than 2.8 million Missourians voted in the presidential election four years ago.

The deadline for requesting a ballot by mail has passed, but you can still vote absentee at your county clerk’s office during regular business hours through Monday, November 2, if you qualify. In addition to traditional reasons for voting absentee – absence from the district on Election Day being the most common – anyone age 65 or older, and those with serious medical conditions, may cast an absentee ballot this year.

If you plan to vote by mail, you are urged to follow the directions carefully, and remember mail-in ballots must be notarized. Absentee ballots for voters claiming a coronavirus-related excuse or those incapacitated due to illness, do not need to be notarized.

Mail-in ballots cannot be hand-delivered. All mailed ballots (including absentee ballots sent by mail) must arrive at the appropriate county clerk’s office before 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Election authorities will begin counting absentee and mail-in ballots as soon as the polls open at 6 a.m. on November 3. Unlike some states, which accept ballots postmarked on Election Day, Missouri stops accepting mailed ballots once the polls close.

If you’re voting in-person on Election Day, you will need to bring identification with you to the polling place. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver’s license or state ID; a U.S. government ID; the voter identification card issued by your local election authority; or an ID from a Missouri institution of higher education. If you don’t have any of those, a utility bill, bank statement, pay stub or government document will suffice, so long as it shows your name and address.