BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Mail-in voting snafus are creating complications ahead of Tuesday's election.

It's time to start dealing with the onslaught of mail-in ballots at offices across the state. However, some never made it onto the Vermont ballot, leaving some votes hanging in the balance.

It's all hands on deck at the Morristown Clerk's office organizing returned ballots and those lost along the way.

“As you can see, we got a few ballots back,” said Morristown Executive Director Sarah Haskins.

Haskins says most ballots went to the correct residents, but some were returned to her desk.

“We're just holding these in hand and hoping that voters come to vote in person on Election Day or that they contact us beforehand,” Haskins said.

Address errors are usually the cause of returned ballots. If Vermont residents move and forget to update their voter registration, their ballot will not be forwarded to their new address.

Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas says this is particularly common in urban areas where people rent. This can be difficult to sort out.

“It's about tracking down any loose ends that you might come across, figuring out who has moved and how to eliminate them,” Copeland Hanzas said.

She says clerks may be seeing more misplaced ballots than usual this year and that they won't be able to systematically process voter information 90 days before an election to avoid complications with voting.

With several elections coming up this year, many employees are in a bind.

“It’s been a particularly challenging year for employees to stay on top of things,” Copeland Hanzas said.

Just one day before the election, voters who have not received their ballot should go directly to the polls.

Haskins hopes they're ready to do the legwork.

“Even if your ballot hasn’t arrived, you can still come out and vote on Election Day,” she said.

If you still have your ballot, be sure to bring it with you to the polls. If you do not, you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying that you have not already voted.

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