BRANSON, Mo. – The Taney County Clerk’s Office has ordered 7,000 absentee envelopes as they expect a higher amount of voters to cast an absentee ballot than in past elections.

“We estimate that we’re going to have a little over 5,000 absentees if we have the same percentage as August”, said Taney County Clerk, Donna Neeley.

Neeley expects the number could be even higher because of added public interest concerning the November election. She also believes COVID-19 could make these numbers rise more. She says her office is already facing challenges due to the pandemic.

“We have an employee in the office who currently has COVID. It is a big concern for election workers, not just in our county, but across the state because we just can’t stop functioning right now. We have to keep going.”

Taney County Clerk, Donna Neeley

The Taney County Clerk’s office has protective plastic shields around their office, everyone is required to wear masks and some are even working from home to prevent the spread of the virus.