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Voters in some states unable to cast early ballots in person

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, file photo, voters wait in line to enter the Pip Moyer Recreation Center, in Annapolis, Md., on the first day of in-person early voting in the state. Tens of millions of Americans already cast ballots in the 2020 election amid record-breaking early voting during the coronavirus pandemic. But for some voters in a handful of states, casting an early ballot in-person isn't even an option. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)
FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, file photo, voters wait in line to enter the Pip Moyer Recreation Center, in Annapolis, Md., on the first day of in-person early voting in the state. Tens of millions of Americans already cast ballots in the 2020 election amid record-breaking early voting during the coronavirus pandemic. But for some voters in a handful of states, casting an early ballot in-person isn't even an option. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File) FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, file photo, voters wait in line to enter the Pip Moyer Recreation Center, in Annapolis, Md., on the first day of in-person early voting in the state. Tens of millions of Americans already cast ballots in the 2020 election amid record-breaking early voting during the coronavirus pandemic. But for some voters in a handful of states, casting an early ballot in-person isn't even an option. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)

By SUMMER BALLENTINE / Associated Press 5 min read

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – With coronavirus cases spreading rapidly across her state, Samantha Allen laments that Missouri does not allow voters to cast their ballots in person before Election Day.

More than 21 million voters across the U.S. have taken advantage of early in-person voting amid record-breaking early turnout, according to Associated Press elections research. But that option isn’t available in Connecticut, Mississippi, Missouri or New Hampshire, which has stirred worries about long lines and big crowds on Election Day with the threat of COVID-19 looming large, particularly in Missouri.

Allen, a 55-year-old Republican, said spreading out voting over a long period would keep the lines shorter, which she said is especially important during the pandemic.

“A lot of people could do it easier,” she said. “It would thin out the lines (and) keep the spread of the COVID down.”

Connecticut this year gave every voter the option to cast an absentee ballot by mail or drop it off before Election Day. Interest has been so great that it has overwhelmed municipal clerks, who had processed about 674,000 absentee ballot requests by mid-October, compared to fewer than 130,000 that were cast in Connecticut during the entire 2016 presidential race. Most say they have been able to keep up because they hired more staff.