The deadline for Nebraska absentee ballot applications by mail or online is Oct. 16 and the submission for in-person ballots are due on Oct. 23 at 6 p.m.

Every state has absentee voting and each state’s election rules are different, according to usa.gov.

Citizens in Nebraska can request an early voting form from their county election office in person, by mail or by fax. Voters in Wayne County can choose to have the early voting ballot mailed to them, according to waynecountyne.org.

Voters in Nebraska can take a picture or scan their request and email it to their county election official. Applications must be physically signed. Voters can also mail or fax their application to their county election office, according to sos.nebraska.gov.

The states are still deciding how they will handle voting during the pandemic, according to usa.gov. All voters in every state, but Mississippi and Texas, had the ability to cast mail or absentee ballot in primaries this year. Some states are still deciding how they will handle voting during the pandemic, according to usa.gov.

“I support absentee ballots,” Joe Blankenau, a professor of political science at Wayne State, said. “I think it is good to provide a way to vote regardless of the circumstances, as long as they are eligible.”

Blankenau voted by mail before, and he also plans on voting by mail in 2020 because of COVID-19.

Most states, including Nebraska, let registered voters vote on specified dates before Election Day, and voters don’t need an excuse to vote early.

The first day to accept early voting ballot requests for the general election was on July 6. Early voting ballots will be mailed out to voters starting Oct. 5.

One place to check for early voting rules is to visit the Wayne County election office website. Select voter-information-search to check the status of the absentee ballot or to update the registration, according to waynecountyne.org.

Voters registered for absentee ballots in Wayne County must be United States citizens and live in Nebraska. Voters must also be at least 18 years old or will be 18 on or before the first Tuesday in November, according to vote.org.

The registered voters must not be convicted of a felony. If the voters are convicted, their sentence and parole must be completed more than two years ago. Voters must not be found to be mentally incompetent to request an absentee ballot, according to vote.org.