October 28, 2020 3:50 a.m.

Nearly 52 percent of registered voters in Douglas County have cast a ballot in the November General Election.

Douglas County Clerk Daniel Loomis told News Radio 1240 KQEN that 43,672 ballots have been received as of Tuesday night. Loomis said that is around 14 percent ahead of the participation rate for the same point in the 2016 and 2012 Presidential elections.

Of the ballots received, over 38 percent have arrived via the U.S. Postal Service while nearly 23 percent have come directly to the courthouse. The rest have come from the other drop sites.

Loomis said it is now too late to mail ballots in. They are due back by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday November 3rd and postmarks do not count. A list of drop site locations is posted with this story at www.541radio.com: https://www.co.douglas.or.us/clerk/drop_site_locations.asp

Loomis said on Tuesday the Election Boards began the process of separating the voted ballots from their envelopes and the optional secrecy sleeves, in preparation for voted ballots to be electronically scanned on election day.