As the campaign enters the home stretch and both parties are counting on absentee ballots to supplement their Election Day turnout, Dani Durham and the Story County Auditor’s Office will be counting those ballots.

Durham, the deputy director of elections, said that anyone can vote absentee, making it a good choice for ISU students and others who may be busy on Election Day.

“Voting absentee has nothing to do with being absent from your precinct,” Durham said.

Absentee ballots were mailed out Thursday by auditor’s offices around the state.

Those who vote by mail will vote on a ballot, put the ballot into a secrecy envelope, put the secrecy envelope into an affidavit envelope, and sign and seal the affidavit envelope.

This envelope goes inside the mailing envelope, which the U.S. Postal Service will deliver to the auditor’s office.

“Absentee [ballots are] their own separate precinct and are inserted into a tabulator just like at the precinct,” Durham said. “A 12-person absentee board team will insert these ballots into the tabulator on Election Day.”

Sarah Achtemeier, freshman in liberal arts and sciences-open option, said she will vote absentee in the November election.

“In August, before I came to ISU, someone came to my house and asked me to vote absentee,” she said.

While waiting for her ballot to arrive, Achtemeier is taking time to research where the candidates stand and decide for whom to vote. “I’d like to make a more informed decision,” she said.

She said she’s confident that nothing will go wrong and her ballot will be counted.

“I’ve never worried about absentee ballot security,” she said. “I trust the government’s procedures and the people that will handle our votes.”

Her faith is well placed because ballot tampering is a remote possibility, Durham said.

“Obviously, there are severe penalties and felony charges for those who tamper with ballots,” Durham said.

“Couriers must go through courier training and show credentials while going around picking up ballots.”

Brandon Gray, junior in journalism and mass communication and a registered absentee ballot courier, agreed.

“With this new system we have, it would be impossible to tamper with an absentee ballot and get away with it,” Gray said.

“Everyone that touches ballots that’s not an immediate family member must be licensed in the county that they collect them in. Couriers are required to show their credentials when picking up your ballot, and they must record it on a cover sheet that they will be carrying,” Gray said.

“You will also get a receipt, and the courier must have your ballot into the auditor’s office within 72 hours.”

This weekend marks the beginning of the absentee ballot season, so expect the parties to solicit their supporters to vote absentee.

“This weekend, I’m putting in six to eight hours gathering absentee ballots,” Gray said. “For sure, this weekend’s the big one.”