WASHINGTON — This has already been an unprecedented election season with more options than ever to cast your ballots: early voting, mail-in ballots, curbside, and even drop boxes. But leaders around the region say if you haven't mailed your ballot in by now, it's best to put it in a secured drop box to make sure it's counted in time.
“If you haven't mailed your absentee ballot, you should consider dropping them off at a ballot drop box, which is available at your local registrar's office and other locations,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday.
According to election officials, drop boxes in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are open 24/7 and monitored by surveillance video. Ballots are picked up twice a day with two campaign workers from different parties. Then they are immediately locked and brought in for processing.
But some voters said they are still skeptical.
In D.C., the Board of Elections reports that as of Tuesday, 96,211 ballots have been collected from the city’s 55 drop boxes.
Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Linda Lamone said ballot boxes are more reliable as we near election day, saying reports of nationwide postal delays could pose a problem.
“We don’t anticipate any issue with ballots already cast by mail,” she clarified.
Ballots dropped off in drop boxes on Election Day will still be counted if they are inside by 8 p.m.