Should you still mail your ballot? Some officials say "it's a little late"

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Mail or Drop Box?  

A question some voters may have to think about if they're advance voting this election.  

For avid voter, Vince Muñoz, the decision was easy. After Muñoz mailed his ballot a week before election day in last year's local election, he got a letter back with some bad news. His ballot would not be counted.  

"When I found out that it hadn't been counted, I was obviously pretty disappointed. You know, it just seemed so strange that it didn't arrive on time,” says Muñoz, who took his ballot to a local county drop box this year. 

Muñoz says he usually votes in person, but last year he moved before he could register in another county. 

He says more guidance would've been helpful at that time.  

Election and USPS officials recommend mailing ballots at least one week before the state deadline, so it arrives by November 6th. 

But, will it get to the election office in time to be counted?  

According to the Secretary of State's office, it's important for voters to treat their ballot "like a lottery ticket." 

While voters still have the options to mail their ballots, there are other options to keep in mind. 

"At this point I would not recommend mailing the mail-in ballot, but there are other ways. The first way is to just drive it to the county elections office, and just hand it over to the election officials, and they will count it. Second option is to take your mail-in ballot and put it in a drop box," says Bob Beatty, political analyst for KSNT. 

For Muñoz, taking the ballot to a drop box this year was the best option. 

He says it also allows him to give others the opportunity to vote by mail if they have to. 

"If you have a mail-in ballot, and you can turn it into a drop box or in-person, you're also freeing up mail-space, essentially, for people who can't go. So, it's also helping other people if you can drop off your mail-in ballot," Muñoz says. 

Election officials say another thing to remember when returning mail-in ballots is to make sure it’s signed correctly. This way election officers can take care of it right away. 

If voters choose to send their ballot by mail, the vote will count if it's postmarked by Election Day. 

It has to get there at least three days after the election; however, officials say there's no guarantee.