Out-of-state voter registered in Scottsdale having issues receiving ballot

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- A University of Southern California student says he hasn’t received his mail-in ballot. Logan Barth is a registered voter in Scottsdale, Arizona, but is currently taking courses at USC. He requested a mail-in ballot in September and was told by the Maricopa Elections it was mailed out on October 12, but it never arrived.

Barth is a 19-year-old sophomore at USC. Barth said he was excited to vote in his first general election, but now he’s worried he won’t be able to cast a vote because he’s running out of time to mail a ballot in. “It matters to vote in every state because of the nature of politics in Arizona; the races are always so close. I can’t fly back to Arizona just to go to a polling place,” he said.

Barth called the election office and requested a second ballot since the first one never reached him. The Maricopa County Elections sent him a text Wednesday saying it was mailed to him. But Barth is worried it may arrive too late. “My expectation is I’m not going to get it. I’m still, deep down, hoping it arrives. As a voter, if I can’t vote, I feel like there’s something wrong with the election system,” he said.

Elections officials say they need all ballots in their possession by 7 p.m. election night. They say you can always overnight your ballot back to the election center. You will pay for it, but it could help ensure your ballot arrives on time.

But for Barth, he can’t focus on getting it back in time if he never receives a ballot in the first place. “I requested my ballot the first day it opened up and at this point there’s a chance I won’t be able to vote. Every vote truly does matter and I feel I don’t have a vote in this election,” he explained.

To track your ballot through USPS, click/tap here. To track the status of your completed ballot, click/tap here.

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