But Rep. Long told TheDC he trusts that the county officials managing elections in Joplin will make sure eligible voters can cast their ballots. “I’m not [worried],” Long said. “I might have different concerns than Lt. Gov. Kinder, but like I said, the county officials running the election don’t seem to think they’re going to have problems.”
Long added that he doesn’t believe Carnahan or Holder should come to Jasper County to help local officials — at least not yet.
“My best litmus test for that is county officials who actually conduct the elections,” Long told TheDC. “And they seem confident that they’ll be able to accommodate everyone even if they don’t have the proper registration. It might take them longer to vote.”
Long, a freshman congressman elected as part of the 2010 tea party wave, said preserving the ability of eligible Missourians to vote is his top priority.
“We just want to get the word out to everyone that it’s one of the most important things a citizen can do, exercising your right to vote. And we want to make sure that if you’re registered to vote, you have that opportunity on Tuesday,” Long said.
“And county officials are on high alert to make sure if there are any problems, [they’re resolved]. I saw one news story the other day that it might take longer for some people to vote, but they intend to accommodate everyone who wants to vote. And that’s the most important thing so that people are not disenfranchised.”
UPDATE 2 p.m. Sunday:
Jasper County clerk Bonnie Earl told The Daily Caller that there is no chance any voters will not be allowed to cast ballots. “I am the Election Authority in Jasper County and there is absolutely, positively no possibility of any voters not being allowed to vote,” Earl said in an email. “Missouri law states that the EA shall send new Voter ID cards every two years. Those cards were recently mailed and we had a higher number returned to us due to the horrific tornado that occurred here last year. Many people have been displaced. It is the voter’s responsibility to change his or her address when they move. There are several forms of identification that the voter can lawfully use in the state of Missouri to vote. So, not having a current voter ID does not exclude them from voting.”
