JACKSON -- Absentee voting for the Aug. 2 primary election is now under way.

The opportunity to vote early is open to anyone who will be unable to go to the polls on election day, said Cape Girardeau County Clerk Rodney Miller.

Absentee ballots can be voted in person or requested by mail.

Voting absentee in person can be done Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the county clerk's offices in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. The Cape Girardeau office is in Common Pleas Courthouse Annex and the Jackson office is on the top floor of the county Administration Building.

The offices also will be open from 8 a.m. until noon July 30 to handle absentee voters.

Absentee ballots can be mailed; however, applications need to be received by July 27. Voters who are out of town must request a ballot, except that a parent or spouse can request a ballot for a family member.

All absentee ballots need to be notarized, except those voted by individuals unable to vote in person due to illness, physical disability, or being incapacitated.

Miller said there has not been much voting, but he expects it to pick up closer to the election.