Sixteen people who are hospitalized in Joplin were able to cast their ballots on Tuesday.
According to Freeman Health System, social service workers and volunteers from the Jasper County Clerk’s Office made sure patients got to vote.
Eighty-one-year-old Elizabeth Edwards of Joplin and 72-year-old Debbie Reed of Carthage didn’t expect to be in the hospital on Election Day, according to a news release. Edwards said it would have been the first time she’d missed an election if she hadn’t got to vote. Reed said voting is a personal privilege.
Becky Keeler with Freeman Social Services says staff arranged for Newton County voters to be able to cast ballots while in the hospital. They also created packets with appropriate paperwork for affidavits to allow families of patients from Oklahoma and Kansas to get ballots so their loved ones could participate in the election.