Voters receive absentee ballot envelopes without a ballot inside

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - The Burleigh County Auditor’s Office has sent out nearly 26,000 absentee ballots in under three weeks. But not everyone got what they expected in the mail.

Burleigh County residents opened their mailbox, to find an envelope that states it “contains an absentee voter’s ballot.” But for some people who opened their envelope, their ballot wasn’t there.

Keven Lorenz said he and his wife received absentee ballot envelopes they didn’t request.

“I didn’t request one...I mean, my plans were to go vote in person,” said Lorenz.

Instead, they got an envelope with no ballot inside.

“This is what I got in the mail: the instructions, the envelope you’re supposed to put the ballot in, the return envelope with your name and address and barcode stamped on it. Everything was in there, except for the ballot,” said Lorenz.

Online, many other area residents are expressing that the same thing happened to them.

The Burleigh County Auditor’s office said it’s simply a human error issue.

“If you didn’t get your ballot, I can see how that would be frustrating. We’re a staff of limited people, limited resources, and we’re really working hard to ensure the people of Burleigh County are able to cast a vote,” said Burleigh County Elections Manager Erika White.

Lorenz said the auditor’s office was responsive and immediately started working on resending their ballots after they called.

If you’ve received an envelope that didn’t include your ballot, you can contact your county auditor’s office to receive a new one or choose to vote in person instead.