Registered voters can request that an Early Voting ballot be mailed directly to them prior to each election, or they can visit the Election Commission and vote early in person. They can also have someone pick up a ballot for them prior to the election. Ballots for the 2020 Statewide Presidential General Election will begin to be mailed on Monday, September 28th.

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Learn more about early voting by reading the information below.

The Douglas County Election Commission has established nine drop box locations to give voters an opportunity to return their early voting ballots without having to use the mail . These drop boxes are available during the period of early voting (35 days prior to each statewide primary and general election, 22 days prior to an all-mail special election, and 15 days prior to a polling place special election). The drop boxes will accept early voting ballots up until the close of polls on election day (8:00 p.m. for polling place elections and 5:00 p.m. for all-mail elections).

The drop boxes are located at:

City/County Building

Located: Between 18th & 19th on Farnam

near sidewalk

1819 Farnam Street, Omaha



Located: Between 18th & 19th on Farnam 1819 Farnam Street, Omaha South Omaha Library

Relocated: East side parking lot

2808 Q Street, Omaha



Relocated: East side parking lot 2808 Q Street, Omaha Charles B. Washington Branch Library

Located: Southwest corner of building

2868 Ames Avenue, Omaha



Located: Southwest corner of building 2868 Ames Avenue, Omaha Ralston Police Department

Located: Southwest corner of building

7400 Main Street, Ralston



Located: Southwest corner of building 7400 Main Street, Ralston Milton R. Abrahams Branch Library

Located: South of main entrance

5111 N 90th Street, Omaha



Douglas County Election Commission

Located: West of main entrance in parking lot

12220 W Center Road, Omaha



Located: West of main entrance in parking lot 12220 W Center Road, Omaha Douglas County Engineer's Office

Located: Near sidewalk by parking stalls

15505 W Maple Road, Omaha



Located: Near sidewalk by parking stalls 15505 W Maple Road, Omaha Millard Public Schools Foundation

Located: Northwest corner of building

5225 South 159th Avenue, Omaha



Located: Northwest corner of building 5225 South 159th Avenue, Omaha Bess Johnson Elkhorn Branch Library

Located: Northeast corner of building

2100 Reading Plaza, Elkhorn



Any Douglas County voter who was registered prior to the voter registration deadline is eligible to request an early voting ballot, either by mail, in person, or by agent.

Voters can have a ballot sent directly to them in the mail, either to their home address or to another address if they are away from home. Voters should send an Early Voting Ballot Application to the Election Commission requesting a ballot be mailed to them. Also, check out our Fast Facts - By-Mail Early Voting and our Top 10 Tips for By-Mail Voting!

Requirements:

Completed applications may be returned to the Election Commission by mail or in person to 12220 W Center Rd, Omaha, NE 68144; by fax to (402) 444-4181; or by email by attaching a picture of the completed application and sending it to earlyvoting@votedouglascounty.com

A voter can print an Early Voting Ballot Application or send us a request with the following information.

Name of Election (e.g. 2010 General Election)



Voter's Name



Voter's Home (Registered) Address



Address where ballot should be mailed, if different from voter's home address



Voter's Date of Birth



Voter's Phone Number



Voter's Email Address



Voter's Signature or the signature of the person acting as an agent

All requests must be received by 6:00 p.m. on the second Friday prior to each election.

Envelopes:

Early voting ballots are mailed in gold-colored envelopes (pictured below) measuring approximately 6 inches by 9 inches.

A return envelope (pictured below) is included with the early voting ballot. The return envelopes are gold-colored and measure 6 inches by 9 inches. Voters must sign the back of the return envelope in order for the ballot to be counted.

In July 2018, the Douglas County Election Commission began offering a program for voters to sign up to be on the Early Voting Request List.

This program includes the following:

Voter that plans to vote early by mail for future scheduled elections signs up to be on the mailing list by checking the box on the By-Mail Early Voting Ballot Application while requesting a ballot for an election or by completing the Early Voting Request List Sign-Up Form during non-election times. See top of page for form.

Voter receives a postcard application approximately 2 to 3 months prior to each scheduled election.

Voter must complete, sign, and return the postcard application in order to have an early voting ballot mailed to them.

Voter that prefers to vote at their polling place on Election Day should not sign up to be on this list.

All in-person early voting takes place at the Election Commission.

The voter can vote his or her ballot at the Election Commission, or the voter can take his or her ballot home as long as the ballot is returned to the Election Commission or a drop box location before 8:00 p.m. on election day.

In-person early voting takes place 30 days prior to a statewide election and fifteen days prior to all other elections (e.g. City of Omaha Elections, School Bond Elections, Levy Override Elections, etc.).

An agent is a person acting on behalf of a registered voter.

An agent can request an early voting ballot to be mailed to a voter or can pick up an early voting ballot for a voter.

An agent can only be an agent for two voters each election (requesting a ballot for yourself is not considered acting as an agent).

An agent does not have to be a registered voter, but he or she must be able to provide the name, registered address, and date of birth of the voter.

If an agent is picking up an early voting ballot for a voter, the agent has until 7:00 p.m. on election day to come to the Election Commission to pick up a ballot.

All ballots must be returned to the Election Commission or a drop box location before 8:00 p.m. on election day.

Ballots are collected from the post office and drop boxes each weekday.

Voter's signature on the return envelope is verified.

The status of each ballot return envelope is logged in the voter registration system. Visit Early Voting Ballot Status Check to track the status of your ballot.

All ballot returns are logged the same day they are received.

An audit is completed to ensure all ballot returns are accounted for.

Ballot returns are then stored in a secure room until opening begins.

Accepted ballot return envelopes are opened by a team of two workers of differing political parties.

The ballot is removed and separated from the envelope so that each voter's ballot remains secret.

Accepted ballots are placed in boxes which are sealed and stored in a secure room.

Accepted early voting ballots can begin to be counted the Monday prior to Election Day. These ballots are part of the first sets of results after the closing of the polls on Election Night.

All early voting ballots returned on Election Day are verified and processed the day after Election Day. The accepted ballots are then counted the Friday following Election Day and are included in the final official election results.

All accepted early voting ballots are counted and reported.

Suspended ballots are processed during the canvass (auditing) of the election. If accepted, the ballot will be counted and added to the final official election results.

After the canvass of the election is complete, all early voting ballots and materials are stored for 22 months.

Anyone who is a registered voter in Douglas County and is a patient in a Douglas County hospital on election day is eligible to have his or her ballot delivered to the hospital by an Election Commission representative.

The patient, or an agent acting on the patient's behalf, must complete an Early Voting Ballot Application, which can be obtained from a hospital staff member.

All patient applications must be received by the Election Commission by 5:00 p.m. the day before the election.

If a patient needs assistance marking or reading his or her ballot, a Voter Assistance Oath must be completed and returned with the ballot.

Ballots must be returned to the Election Commission or a drop box location by 8:00 p.m. on election day.

Hospital staff assist patients in completing the requests and ensure the ballots are returned to the Election Commission by the deadline.

In order to assist residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the Douglas County Election Commission arranges for ballots to be mailed directly to the residents of these facilities.

The resident wishing to vote, or an agent acting on the residentï¿½s behalf, must complete an Early Voting Ballot Application prior to the voter registration deadline for that election.

If a resident wishes to vote and is not listed as an active resident of the nursing home or assisted living facility, then he or she must also complete a Nebraska Voter Registration Application.

All completed Early Voting Ballot Applications must be faxed, mailed, or delivered to the Douglas County Election Commission no later than 4:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before election day.

If a resident needs assistance marking or reading his or her ballot, a Voter Assistance Oath must be completed and returned with the ballot.

Upon completion, the ballots must be returned in their respective envelopes to the Election Commission by mail or in person.

Ballots must be returned to the Election Commission or a drop box location by 8:00 p.m. on election day.

There are a number of deadlines related to voter registration and early voting. Please review them carefully so that residents have the opportunity to vote each election.

All Nebraska Voter Registration Applications must be received by the voter registration deadline in order for a resident to vote in the upcoming election.

Please note that Early Voting Ballot Applications may be faxed or mailed to the Election Commission; however, all Nebraska Voter Registration Applications must be mailed to the Election Commission or delivered in person. We are unable to accept any faxed voter registration applications.