ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The general election is just days away. While some are waiting to vote on Tuesday, others are already waiting in long lines to make sure their voices are heard.
St. Louis County Republican Director of Elections Rick Stream said each of its four satellite locations has seen around 800 to 1,500 voters daily.
He says wait times range from 15 minutes to an hour.
Stream said the lines may seem long, but they are moving along.
"The lines appear to be longer than they are because of the 6-foot spacing in line," he said.
Voters just like Rocio Millivega wanted to get out there as quickly as possible.
"If you could do it right away, why wait?" she said.
Same goes for Sam Gilstrap.
"I’m glad that I came out early to make sure that I can get my vote in and everything goes smoothly," Gilstrap said.
Stream said voters should expect turnout to increase each day as we inch closer to Tuesday.
"We think Monday will be a very heavy day," he said.
If you decide to wait for Nov. 3, expect more than 300,000 county voters at the polls.
Looking at four years ago, Stream said there were about 500,000 voters. They expect similar numbers this year. With mail-in and in-person absentee voting, they expect over 200,000 people have already voted.
Before standing in line, you'll have a chance to take a peek at how busy it is.
"We have a wait time app on our website, so people can go in and look," he said.
On Election Day, Stream said they expect long lines.
If you think the lines are too long, safety coordinators will pass out cards. Those cards will give the voter five nearby polling places to give them options.
The county director says if you have COVID-19 or if you're in quarantine do not go out and vote.
You can call 314-615-1800 and they will give instructions.
A team dressed up in PPE will go to your house and get your vote.
SATELLITE LOCATIONS:
- North county: North County Recreational Complex, 2577 Redman Ave., St. Louis, MO 63136
- Mid-county: Mid-County Library, 7821 Maryland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105
- West county: West County Government Center, 4 Clarkson Wilson Center, Chesterfield, MO 63017
- South county: 4546 Lemay Ferry Road, St. Louis, MO 63129
- If you live in the county, you can vote at any location
Voters can continue to cast a ballot at the St. Louis County Board of Elections, which is located at 725 NW Plaza in St. Ann.
