ST CHARLES, Mo. — Widespread flooding, school closures, and traffic delays plagued the St. Louis region Tuesday as polls opened for the last day of voting in the 2024 election.
Countless voters weathered the storm in lines as rain continually fell Tuesday morning. A moment of respite was found inside as people filled out their ballots, but a new problem sprang up in St. Charles for many as residents tried to insert their ballots into the machine drop box.
Wrap-around lines formed, filled with people waiting for their ballots to dry after rain-soaked jackets moistened the paper and made them temporarily unreadable by machine drop boxes. 5 On Your Side Crews at the St. Charles County Election Headquarters witnessed the lines, with some even waiting multiple hours for the liquid to evaporate.
St. Charles County Director of Elections Kurt Bahr asked all voters to try and keep their ballots dry while filling them out in person. The ballots are reportedly getting wet as people come in with rainy coats, lean over the ballots, and get water on them.
Bahr assured voters that everyone's votes will still count, but they'll have to wait for their ballot to dry before attempting to insert it into the drop box. Alternatively, voters can securely put their ballots in an emergency slot to be run through at the end of the night when polls close at around 7 p.m.
Bahr expects reports from St. Charles County to start coming in around 8 p.m. Tuesday night, then from subsequent polling places every 15 minutes after.
