BEATRICE – With about a week before the General Election, its non-stop work for county clerks and election commissioners through election day and beyond. Registration for this election came to a close, Friday.
Gage County Clerk Dawn Hill says 4,865 early ballots were requested this time around, with over 12-hundred yet to be turned in.


There’s a lot to consider in this election, from national, state and local offices to a bevy of ballot issues.
"The thing that we have really noticed and hopefully is not an issue for us is the amount of spoiled ballots we've been getting. People making a mistake, or that's not how they wanted to vote. They have to come in and get a ballot replacement. You can have up to four...and then, that's it."


Hill says for some, the various ballot issues may be confusing, even before campaign ads that offer explanations. Hill estimates that overall registration in Gage County is up about 200 from the Primary, with voter registration around 14,500.


"So many people come in and say this is the first time that I've ever registered to vote. I don't know why or which candidate they're supporting...they are not indicating...but, it's amazing how many new ones."


Poll sites are being set up, and there will be nine locations in Gage County…similar to past elections….some that serve multiple precincts. Hill says finding enough poll workers has been a bit easier than it was during the primary.  An election is a huge undertaking…to make sure things go according to planned…and according to the law.


With some states anticipating that final results may not be known until well after the voting is completed, Hill says she expects that will not be as much of a concern, in Nebraska.  "If there's a lot of provisional ballots, that's done later on. Or, where people don't bring their I.D. Then you sit and wait for seven days. Those ballots sit, locked up, until that person brings in their identification before you can count it. So, you're going to have those kinds of things that will hold you up, for your final numbers."


Just like ballots cast on election day, early ballots are not tabulated until the close of voting. Ballots that come into the office are time-stamped and logged in… to show they were received.


"Then it goes into a locked ballot box where the seals have numbers. I have taken it a step further, where I have law enforcement come in daily and they will check the seals to make sure the numbers are still the same....and then sign a form saying that they checked that seal and it is the same. Then, when we're allowed for a counting board....and Friday was the first day they could meet...they will then move forward with taking the ballots out of the ballot box, recording the seals and the numbers that were on them...and then they start alphabetizing them. Then, we run rosters to check them off to make sure we didn't miss anything by giving someone their ballot credit."


On November 5th, in-person voting will take place in Nebraska between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Early ballots can be turned in, also until 8 p.m., election day.