Casper residents who want to vote on the smoking referendum before the Nov. 3 election may cast absentee ballots now, Natrona County Clerk Renea Vitto said Tuesday.

"The ballots for the special smoking referendum are in the building right now," Vitto said.

"You can vote absentee, or you can request one if you'd like, or you can come into our office at (room) 154 at the (old) courthouse at 200 North Center and start voting," she said.

The referendum came about after a two-year effort by Keep Casper Smoke Free to overturn a 2013 Casper City ordinance -- nicknamed Smoking Ban Light -- that relaxed the strict 2012 smoking ban -- Nicknamed Smoking Ban Fully Leaded -- approved by the previous city council.

A "for" vote on the ballot means you want to keep the relaxed 2013 rules intact. An "against" vote means you want the city to return to the strict 2012 ordinance.

The referendum is the only item on the ballot, she said.

Casper residents who have not registered to vote may do so at the county clerk's office and then receive the ballot to vote, Vitto said.

The county clerk's office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Registered voters may cast absentee ballots through 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters may cast their ballots on the smoking referendum at any of the six polling places open in the city. There are two polling places in each of the city's three wards. Because this is a city-wide referendum on one issue, it doesn't matter if you live in Ward 1 and you are close to a polling place in Ward 2.

For more information about the referendum and voting, visit the Natrona County Clerk's website.

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