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Parson urged to extend mail-in voting
By Jim Salter The Associated Press
O FALLON, Mo. (AP) Dozens of civil rights advocates, faith leaders and others on Friday urged Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to extend into next year a law allowing more people to cast their votes by mail to avoid the risk of contracting the coronavirus through in-person voting.
A letter signed by people representing nearly five dozen organizations asked the Republican governor to use his emergency authority to extend the law he signed in June.
The law set to expire on Dec. 31 allows those considered at high-risk of the virus – people age 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities and people with certain preexisting health conditions – to vote absentee without having their ballots notarized. Anyone else can cast a mail-in ballot but needs to get it notarized.
A COVID-19 outbreak at the Gower Convalescent Center that went into last month caused 20 deaths. No new cases have been reported since the end of November.
The administrator of the facility, Amberly Moore, said this occurred when a resident who was COVID-19 positive and had dementia returned from Cameron Regional Hospital, left her room and came in contact with another resident.
Moore said they have continued to follow CDC recommendations and have passed four different infection control visits from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
âItâs been tough, we are still grieving the loss of our residents, our families are still grieving,â Moore said. âItâs super tough, weâre trying to do a lot of things to help them go through the process.â