Good return on postcards for early voting

BEATRICE – Just recently, postcards went out in the mail from the Gage County Clerk’s Office to persons who may be interested in early voting ballots. County Election Commissioner Dawn Hill says her office is already seeing a brisk return….nearly 500 in just a few days. "It's been pretty steady...people walking them in, putting them in the drop box or in the mail....all three."

Purple-colored postcards were recently sent to those who have voted early in the past, asking if they wish to receive an early ballot for this year’s primary.
In this first year of a new Voter I.D. law….one of the options is for a person to list their driver’s license number on the postcard and return it.

"We process it by day, so we mark whether its by drop box, by mail or in-person...and then that's all recorded into our system. With the drivers license we then cross-match drivers licenses with the records in our system."

If the voter was not in the county’s system, they would then have to come in and produce their I.D. Hill says her office has a list of voters who have said they want to be notified about getting an early ballot, or when there is an election.

"We send out postcards where you have to say, yes...this is my name, this is my address...I want to receive a ballot at my home. And, then you have to sign it. We do not automatically send out ballots. You can still come in and request a ballot to be sent to you, if you're not on our list. And, you can eventually come in, and vote right here."

Hill says most of the questions about the Voter I.D. law are about the process used to get a ballot…what kind of I.D.s can be used at the polls, and whether an expired driver’s license can be used….which it can.

This is a Presidential Election year, which typically draws a higher turnout of voters. Hill says upcoming runoffs in the primary for three Gage County Board seats could also drive up numbers.

The Nebraska Primary election is May 14th.