Don’t wait! How to make sure your absentee ballot is counted in presidential election

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - There are only a few days between the absentee ballot application deadline and election day. That’s why it’s important that if you plan to vote by mail, that you do so right away.

“Act today,” advised Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill.

Even though he’s said it many times, get your absentee application and ballot back to the election’s manager as soon as possible, Merrill said. With a little more than a week before the deadline to submit an application for an absentee ballot, he was still getting questions about the deadline.

“The absentee ballot deadline is October the 29th, and the closer you wait until that day, the more confusion and chaos there’s going to be,” said Merrill.

That’s because the state is expecting a record-breaking number of absentee ballots.

“We continue to break records every day for absentee ballot participation. As you know, yesterday we set a record at 134,000 successfully returned absentee ballots. We are already north of 205,000 ballots that have already been submitted," Merrill explained.

The state was preparing for those numbers to surge past 250,000 absentee ballots, according to Merrill.

So, factor in turnover time to get the absentee ballot and sending it back by mail, it could really come down to the wire for if your vote will make it to the elections office by noon on election day, Nov. 3.

In conclusion, don’t put off until tomorrow, what can be done today.

You can also track your absentee ballot, click here to find out how.

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