Nebraskans urged to mail ballots at least a week before the primary election

Nebraskans voting by mail are encouraged to send their ballots at least a week before the primary election.

That’s because in recent years, the U.S. Postal Service has lowered its delivery standards in the face of financial pressure, leading to slower delivery times.

Lancaster County sent out more than 32,000 absentee ballots on April 6. Election commissioner Todd Wiltgen said he recommends people send their ballots in the mail by May 5 at the latest.

“The Postal Service is inconsistent when it comes to mail delivery. There have been issues that have caused delays of upwards of a week for mail to be delivered,” Wiltgen said. “That's why we went ahead with our standard, which is we advise voters not to mail their ballots within a week of the election.”

If voters haven’t mailed their ballot by May 5, Wiltgen said they should use one of the five drop boxes around Lancaster County.

During the 2024 election, USPS said it delivered nearly all ballots within seven days.

“USPS employs a robust and proven process to ensure proper handling and delivery of all election mail, including ballots. In 2024, we delivered 99.88% of mail-in ballots within seven days,” a spokesperson told Nebraska Public Media News. “Our success in delivering election mail in past elections, as well as more specific information on vote by mail, can be found in the election mail section on usps.com.”

Recent changes in service standards will cause more delays in rural areas than non-rural communities, according to an analysis by the Postal Regulatory Commission.

Mindy Kezar is the clerk in the Panhandle’s Garden County, which started universal by-mail elections in 2018. Rural voters have experienced slower mail for years, so not many ballots come in late, Kezar said. She also recommends using an election drop box or mailing the envelope back before May 5.

“We don't have many that come in after [election night],” Kezar said. “If they are, they're usually the ones that are undeliverable.”

Her office works with the local postmaster to ensure ballots arrive on time, despite much of western Nebraska’s mail being sorted in Denver. About half of the county’s voters use their election drop box, Kezar said.

Ballots in counties that vote entirely by mail were mailed out Monday.

Ballot envelopes need to be in a county clerk’s hands by 7 p.m. MT and 8 p.m. CT on Tuesday, May 12, to be counted.