The crop of 40,000 early voting ballots that election workers are set to mail out to Lancaster County applicants early next week might seem like it would mark the beginning of the Election Commission Office's long to-do list this general election cycle.Â
But that's far from true.
"We've been really busy here at the office since early July,"Â said Todd Wiltgen, the county's election commissioner.
That lasted through the Tuesday after Labor Day, Wiltgen said. A day later, election workers began to process the 40,000 mail-in ballot applications that had been mounting since mid-July.
Come Monday, election workers will send the first 20,000 mail-in ballots to county voters who requested them. Then another 10,000 on Tuesday and 10,000 more on Wednesday, Wiltgen said.
"And then once we're past that, it'll be a much smaller — we'll be caught up," he said.
Though there's still more than a month to go before Election Day in Nebraska, the state's earliest voters will receive their ballots as soon as next week as campaign ads blanket TV airwaves and the 2024 general election cycle enters its final weeks.
If you haven't yet registered to vote — or if you want to vote at home but haven't requested a mail-in ballot  — there is still time.
Here's what you need to know about the upcoming deadlines ahead of the Nov. 5 general election in Nebraska:
Can I still register to vote?
The deadline to register to vote online, by mail or at a state agency — including the DMV — is Oct. 18. You can register to vote online through or by printing off and mailing in . Mail-in voter registration forms must be postmarked by Oct. 18.
You can register to vote in person at your county election office until 6 p.m. local time Oct. 25.
If you aren't sure whether you're registered to vote, you can check your registration status on . If you need to update your address or party affiliation, you can do so through the state's online registration portal through Oct. 18.
Additionally, there are nearly 17,000 registered voters in Lancaster County who are "inactive" because they have changed their address through the U.S. Postal Service or have had mail to their address returned to its sender, Wiltgen said.
They must update their registration before casting a ballot this November. They could do so on Election Day if they still live in Lancaster County, Wiltgen said, but would be required to cast a provisional ballot — a process that is more time-consuming for both voters and election workers.
"It would be helpful if they did it before the deadlines for voter registration," Wiltgen said.
How do I vote early?
If you'd prefer to vote from the comfort of your home or to avoid potential lines at voting precincts on Election Day, you have multiple options in Nebraska.
Since Nebraska is a "no-excuse" state, any registered voter can request an early voting ballot without providing a reason.
You can apply for an early voting ballot by contacting your county election office by mail or by fax. Or you can print an , complete the form and then mail, fax or scan/take a picture of your application and email it to your county election office.
Your early voting application must be mailed to your county election office by Oct. 25.
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. CT and 7 p.m. MT on Nov. 5.
The state maintains . In Lancaster County, there is one drop box at the County Election Commission office at 601 N. 46th St., and four other drop boxes throughout Lincoln:
* Walt Branch Library, 6701 S. 14th St.Â
* Gere Branch Library, 2400 S. 56th St.
* Anderson Branch Library, 3635 Touzalin Ave.
* Eiseley Branch Library, 1530 Superior St.
Nebraskans can also vote early in person at their county election office beginning Oct. 7. In-person early voting ends Nov. 4 — the day before Election Day.
In Lancaster County, the Election Commission is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office is offering extended hours on the following days for early voting:
Friday, October 25, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, October 26, from 8 a.m. to noon
Monday, October 28, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, October 30, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 2, from 8 a.m. to noon.Â
Monday, November 4, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wiltgen said he expects this year's general election — the second statewide election in Nebraska in which voters will be required to present photo IDs to cast ballots — will bring "long lines of people who want to vote here at the office."
"There still is a lot of people who kind of want to do a hybrid," said Wiltgen, who is an early voter himself. "They don't want to vote by mail. But they also don't to wait until Election Day to go the polls. But they want to vote in person.
"There is, I think, gonna be quite a few people who are gonna be coming to the election office to vote in person during the month of October."
An election commission staff member prints off labels for absentee ballots at the Lancaster County Election Commission office on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.