It appears many Nebraskans across the state have made a final decision of who they want to see in office. Early voting has experienced a boom in many counties that’s keeping election commissioners on their toes.
Lincoln County has sent out 2,000 ballots since early voting started October 1st. Election Commissioner and Lincoln County Clerk, Rebecca Rossell, mentioned how busy lunch hours have been during this year’s election. According to a press release from the office of the Secretary Of State, John Gale, the first week of early voting in October was the busiest her office has ever had.
Counties such as Lancaster, Sarpy and Douglas have all seen high voting numbers as well. Landcaster County records nearly 20,000, Douglas County shows 3,676 people have voted in person. More than 54,774 requests have been submitted for ballots and Over 17,000 Sarpy County voters have already requested an early ballot be sent to them or have voted in the office, according to Gale’s release.
Requests for early voting ballots can be found on the Secretary of State’s website (www.sos.state.ne.gov). Look under ‘Elections’ for ‘Voter Forms’.
Approaching Deadlines:
— Registered voters can make requests until 4 p.m. October 31 for early voting ballots to be mailed. November 5 is the deadline for in-person early voting at county election offices for registered voters.
— The close of polls on November 6 is the deadline for the return of early voting ballots to county election offices, including ballots returned by mail.
Advice From Gale:
“Don’t waste your ballot. Early voting in person or by mail should be done well ahead of deadlines to make sure your ballot gets cast and counted,” advised Gale.
“Early voting mail-in ballots have been shown to have as high as a 4% rejection rate when envelopes aren’t signed, or signed by someone else, or sent in a wrong envelope, or returned due to no postage. So, follow the simple rules, get it done right, and make your ballot count.”