Bree and Jeremy Roschewski were in the line outside the Lancaster County Election Commissioner’s Office over the lunch hour last Friday to submit their early voting ballot.
“I don’t know where I’m gonna be at on Nov. 5 with my job, so it’s just easier to come today,†Jeremy Roschewski said.
After waiting in a long line in 2020, the Roschewskis decided to vote early this year for the first time.
“I just really wanted to make sure that my vote was cast,†Bree Roschewski said.
Jim and Suzi Thomason turned their decision to vote early into a family day with their two adult children, who had Friday free.
The family was surprised by the line outside of the building, but only waited about 20 minutes to get inside. The process seemed fairly easy to Jim Thomason, who said voters were directed to check in and then to the numerous voting booths.
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This was the Thomasons' first time voting in a federal election in Nebraska, as they lived in California during the 2020 presidential election.
“I think it’s really fun to go on Election Day, but it’s usually a long line,†Jim said. “This was convenient and I think it is good that if it’s Election Day and something happens so you can’t get there, you missed your shot.â€
The Thomasons and Roschewskis are among the tens of thousands of Lancaster County residents who have already cast their ballots for the upcoming election.
As of Monday morning, more than 53,000 ballots had been issued to voters, with more than 31,000 having been returned since early voting began Oct. 7. Lancaster County Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen said about 75,000 people voted early in the 2020 election.
Of the 53,361 ballots that had been issued as of Monday morning, 31,521 have been returned. So far, Democrats have been issued the most ballots, with 24,059, of which 14,968 have been returned. Republicans have had 19,343 early ballots issued and have returned 11,124 ballots.
The numbers include not only ballots from voters who requested them by mail but also voters who showed up in person to vote at the Election Commissioner's Office.
The majority of early voters in Lancaster County are between the ages of 65 and 74, and they have a return rate so far of 67.9%. Voters between the ages of 75 and 84 have the highest return rate thus far of 69.7%.
Friday is the final day to request a ballot by mail and Nov. 4 is the final day to vote early in person at the Election Commissioner's Office, 601 N. 46th St.
On average, Wiltgen said his office sees a few hundred ballots completed a day, including both those that come by mail and those delivered in person, with Monday and Friday lunch hours being the busiest. That number is expected to rise, Wiltgen said, because the election office will have extended hours starting Friday to allow more opportunities for voters.
He said lines have been significantly shorter this year compared to 2020, which had limited booths and spacing requirements for the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the commissioner’s office has six desks for voters to check in. Voters must provide identification, such as a driver’s license, state ID card or any other valid form of identification.
All early voting ballots are printed on demand at the Election Commissioner's Office, depending on the person's voting precinct. Voters can then choose to fill out their ballot at one of the voting booths or they can take the ballot home and fill it out there. Those ballots can either be returned by mail or in a ballot drop box in the envelope that is provided.
Here is the Lincoln Journal Star's comprehensive guide to the 2024 Nebraska general election.Â
Tracy Martin registered for an early ballot to complete at home before returning it to the ballot box Friday. While Martin said there typically isn’t a line at her polling place on Election Day, it’s easier for her and her boyfriend to simply drop off their ballots rather than navigating around the voting booths.
After seeing her family members vote early, Martin reached the decision that she would try voting early for the first time for a presidential election.
“I liked it. I liked being able to sit at my table and think about things and take my time and know exactly who I wanted to vote for and the things I wanted to vote for,†Martin said.
Plus, it helped to make sure that her vote was counted before time runs out, which she said people tend to forget about.
Wiltgen recommends that voters return their ballots via the drop boxes like Martin did on Friday. While the commissioner’s office can monitor through the postal service when a ballot is mailed, he said they have no control over when they receive the ballots.
“It’s going through a mail processing facility in Omaha, so there’s all those additional touches or opportunities to make mistakes, for ballots to get lost,†Wiltgen said. “The securest way for voters to return their ballot is in a drop box.â€
In addition to the drop box at the Election Commissioner's Office, there are four other drop boxes throughout Lincoln. The state maintains a map of ballot drop boxes on the Secretary of State’s website. Drop boxes are at the following libraries:
* Walt Branch Library, 6701 S. 14th St.
* Gere Branch Library, 2400 S. 56th St.
* Anderson Branch Library, 3635 Touzalin Ave.
* Eiseley Branch Library, 1530 Superior St.
Wiltgen said ballots are retrieved daily at each drop box, and the office uses people of differing parties who collect the ballots and document how many are retrieved. Each ballot requested is given a serialized number to create a chain of custody record.
The tracking numbers help Wiltgen determine if ballots have been mailed, returned, accepted or rejected and if errors have happened on the commissioner’s side or on the post office side. However, he said that if the commissioner’s office doesn’t receive a ballot, they have no way to know if the voter intended to mail it or not.
After requesting an early voting ballot, voters can track the progress online at , where they can see when their ballot has been sent along and if it has been returned and accepted or rejected. If voters have not received their ballot or if it was not returned as expected, Wiltgen said they can fill out an affidavit form that can be returned by mail, email or in a drop box.
“Once we get it, we’ll cancel their first ballot and issue them a replacement,†he said.
People can also request replacement ballots if they make a mistake. Wiltgen said voters cannot erase or cross out any mistakes made, such as marking the wrong oval, and must request a new ballot.
“Our ballots are read by a machine, and by law, we’re not permitted to interpret voter intent if people cross out or ‘X’ out,†he said.
With two weeks left until Election Day, Wiltgen said voters are better off coming to the office to fill out a new ballot rather than waiting for a replacement via mail.
Because Nebraska is a “no-excuse†state, any registered voter can request an early voting ballot (formerly known as absentee voting) without providing a reason. In-person early voting ends Nov. 4 — the day before Election Day.
Early voting applications must be mailed to your county election office by Oct. 25. You can apply for an early voting ballot by contacting your county election office by mail or by fax. Or you can print an early voting application, complete the form and then mail, fax or scan/take a picture of your application and email it to your county election office.
Once you receive and fill out your ballot, you can mail it back to your county election office, return it to the office in person or leave it in a ballot drop box.
Early voting ballots must arrive at your county election office or a designated drop box by the closing of the polls on Election Day. The polls close at 8 p.m. Central time and 7 p.m. Mountain time on Nov. 5.
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The Associated Press has created a series of videos explaining how elections work in the United States.