County election offices started mailing early primary election ballots on Monday to voters who submitted an early voting application.

Two hundred and seventy ballots were mailed from the Lincoln County Clerk’s office Monday, with nearly 1,000 to go. There are 24,000 registered voters in Lincoln County.

Statewide, more than 94,000 ballots were to have been sent by the end of the business day, with an additional 16,000 during the next two days, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said.

Voters can vote by mail if they filled out an early voting application and fulfilled voter ID requirements by enclosing a photocopy of their driver’s license or state ID, or writing in their driver’s license or state ID number. They should expect to receive their ballot in the mail sometime in the next couple weeks, depending on the mail service.

Ballots must be received by the county election office no later than 8 p.m. (7 p.m. mountain time) on Election Day – May 12. If mailing, the Postal Service recommends voters send their ballot back no later than May 5 — a week early — to arrive at the county election office by the deadline.

Also, voters can return their ballot in person or in a secure drop box on the north edge of the Lincoln County sheriff’s office at Second and Jeffers.

Evnen said county election offices are working with voters who did not successfully complete the new voter ID requirement.

“We are expecting a smooth election process this year, considering the highly successful rollout of Nebraska’s voter ID law in 2024,” Evnen said. “Nebraskans are prepared to cast their votes and county election officials do a very effective job working with voters to ensure that our elections run properly. I have every confidence in their ability to do their jobs well.”

Registered Nebraska voters can still request an early voting ballot by sending a completed early voting form to their county election office. Contact information for each county can be found here.

There are 121 secure ballot drop boxes across Nebraska.

If you have questions about Nebraska’s voter ID law before heading to the polls next month, visit voterID.nebraska.gov to find information in both English and Spanish.

Important upcoming election dates:

April 13 – Voting in person begins at county election offices.

April 27 – Last day to register to vote online (by midnight), at the DMV, with the DHHS, at the Department of Education, via agent, via deputy registrar or by mail (voter registration application must be postmarked by April 27.)

May 1 – Last day to register to vote in person at the county election office (6 p.m. local time) and the last day to submit an early voting application to request a ballot to be mailed to the voter.

May 11 – Last day to vote in person at the county election office.

May 12 – Election Day and the last day county election offices will accept any early voting ballots for counting – whether delivered by mail, by agent, in person, or by secure drop box.

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