With poll watchers and election officials starting to vote since they will be conducting the elections next Tuesday, the number of absentee ballots cast has now reached 1,154.
The count of local absentee ballots yesterday was 461, of which 137 are those who’ve traveled off island or working on fishing boats, 252 are voters with disabilities,and 72 are poll workers or officials.
For outside or off-island absentee ballots, the total number of votes cast as of yesterday was 693.
522 of them are voters stranded off island due to the COVID-19 pandemic; 150 are in the military; 15 are students and 6 are ASG employees.
Tomorrow is the last flight bringing mail from the US mainland and Hawaii before Election Day.
Stranded voters can request ballots electronically but as with all other outside ballots they have to send their ballots here by mail.
The Election Office will be working Saturday and Sunday to print ballots and start sorting them into ballot boxes for distribution to the 41 polling places on Tutuila, Aunuu and Manu’a.
Local absentee voting continues today and will resume on Monday then it comes to an end at the close of business on Monday.
