County prepares for May election

HARTINGTON — The deadline to register to vote is coming up for those wanting to participate in the primary election.

Area residents can register to vote or check if they are registered online through the Secretary of State website by April 22. Click on the Register to Vote Online button at sos.nebraska.gov.

The Cedar County Clerk’s office can also check for updated voter registrations through a portal to the online system.

After April 22 and until May 2, county clerk offices will accept voter registration forms by mail or in person at the clerk’s office. Voter registration forms can be found on the county website or Secretary of State website.

Those Laurel residents residing in Cedar County just need to check their mailbox. The first primary ballots will hit mailboxes April 22 in Cedar County where elections continue to be processed by mail only.

The county went to a mail-only process for elections more than a decade ago and there’s many benefits to doing so, said Cedar County Clerk Dave Dowling.

“That’s as easy as it gets. They don’t have to drive anywhere and the postage is paid,” he said.

Since it is so easy for the nearly 6,000 registered voters in the county, a high percentage of ballots are returned. He’s estimating about a 75 percent return for the primary election May 10. In primaries before mail-in ballots, the county might be lucky to get a 30 percent voter turnout, Dowling said.

Those that register to vote after ballots are mailed, will be provided one by the clerk’s office.

“They could come in at 5 p.m. May 2 and we will give them a ballot,” Dowling said.

Cedar County ballots come with paid postage to return or voters can drop them off at the drop box on the north side of the Cedar County Courthouse. Completed ballots can also be handed off at the County Clerk’s Office.

Whether by mail or in person, voters have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to return ballots.

Most of the ballots come in early with only about two dozen coming in on Election Day itself, Dowling said.

Once received, the ballot’s barcode is scanned and then put into a secure box by voter precinct.

That makes his job easy when it comes to tallying the vote once 8 p.m. hits. Usually, results are available by 9 p.m., he said.

Election results are posted on the Cedar County News and Northeastnebraskanews.us websites on election night.