BOISE, Idaho — Friday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. was the deadline for Idaho voters to request an absentee ballot from their County Clerk's Office.
Absentee ballots must be dropped off at a ballot drop box by the time the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. If you received an absentee ballot but decide you want to vote in person, you must bring your absentee ballot with you to the polls.
Each absentee ballot has three parts - the ballot, a secret protective folder, then the mailing envelope.
The ballot and the secrecy folder are tied together - that's how the ballots are counted and tracked. The ballot must be mailed with the folder it came with and if not, then the ballot is considered spoiled and won't be counted. Each has a code that needs to match the other in order for that ballot to be counted.
The mailing envelopes are already are marked for first-class priority mailing through the USPS, so save yourself the stamp and don't put one on.
If you've already sent in your absentee ballot, you can track its status on the Idaho Votes website.
Absentee ballots also require voters to sign their ballots, which the state will compare to signatures of that particular signature to those on file. But don't worry, it doesn't need to match up 100% with your driver's license signature.
It is key that voters keep their mail-in ballot together when they receive it in the mail so there aren't any mixups that could disqualify someone's vote.
Idaho Secretary of State Lawrence Denney told KTVB during our virtual town hall that it's a common mistake that couples send in their ballots in the same envelope or swap secrecy folders.
Watch below:
Early voting is already underway in the Gem State and goes through Oct. 30. Ada County is also offering early voting on Saturday, Oct. 24 for those that may not be able to make it to the polls on Election Day.
You can learn more about the presidential race, what will be on your ballot and who is running in Idaho here:
