ADA COUNTY — During the 2016 presidential election, Ada County mailed almost 27,000 absentee ballots. This year, 115,000 absentee ballots have been sent out so far to those who requested one, making this the highest number of absentee ballots mailed in Idaho during an election.
With thousands of ballots mailed, how do you know if your vote is received? Idaho Votes lets voters check up on their ballot's status.
"On the homepage of that site, you're going to see the ability to look up your voter registration and get your voter registration information," Chief Deputy Secretary of State, Chad Houck, says.
On your voter registration profile, there's a section that shows your absentee ballot status. Click on that, and it will show if your ballot has been issued or received back by the clerk's office.
"If it's received, that means it's been checked in. If it's checked in, it's going to be counted." Houck says.
Voters in Ada County can drop their ballots off at one of the ballot drop-off boxes scattered around or mail their vote to the elections office where it will be time-stamped and counted.
"We have a total of five drop boxes for this election. They're going to be at the city halls so, Kuna City Hall, Meridian City Hall, Eagle City Hall, and Boise City Hall. We've added drop boxes at those locations as well as here at our elections headquarters," Ada County Clerk, Phil McGrane says.
If you requested an absentee ballot, expect to see it in your mailbox within the next couple of days, but also know, it's not too late to request one.
"The election is underway; ballots are going out. If you want to request an absentee ballot, it's a great way to vote for this election, especially if you're concerned about your health and heading to the polls," McGrane says.
If you still want to request an absentee ballot, the deadline to request one is October 23. Ballots must be dropped off or mailed back by 8 p.m. on November 3.
