Voters in Clay County now have better access to elections-related information.
The Clay supervisor of elections announced it has launched a new texting service called Text My Gov that allows voters to access information or report any issues 24/7.
Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless said the texting service allows people to ask all types of election-related questions so they can get the information they want. He said the technology will recognize keywords that are texted in and will trigger a response. The service will either ask you for more information or prompt an answer.
“All of these types of things that we include on our website will now be forwarded to them,” Chambless said.
Chambless said the new service is all about informing voters and making people aware of the voting process.
To get started, you can text your election-related questions or report an issue by texting “HI” to 904-297-2122.
Issues that you could report include a missing vote-by-mail ballot, any equipment issues or long lines during the election process.
Separately, the service can provide notifications on election-related updates like registration deadlines or when sample ballots are available.
You can opt in to that part of the service by texting CLAYVOTES to 91896.
The new service costs the supervisor’s office $7,000 annually to operate.
Chambless said more tools are coming later this year that are designed to give voters more information and easier access to information. He said a redesigned website is included in that rollout. It is expected to be announced before the Aug. 20 primary elections.