Behind-the-scenes look at what happens to your ballot after you mail it in

With less than one week before the midterm elections, Action News Jax is showing you a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to your ballot after you mail it in.

Action News Jax Courtney Cole went to the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections who showed us what it takes to make sure your vote gets counted.

There are just six days left until Election Day — but a lot of people who live in St. Johns County have already submitted their ballots.

That’s why nearly three dozen people gathered in the canvass board room at the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections on Wednesday.

“In the front tables, they're actually separating the ballots from their envelopes--and the secrecy sleeves. Flattening them out to go to the scanners,” said Vicky Oakes, the Supervisor of Elections for St. Johns County.

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Oakes told Action News Jax the team has been working since 9 a.m.

“In the back you can see workers that are actually counting the ballots,” said Oakes.

It's a mix of Supervisor of Elections staff and volunteers, working to go through about 23,000 mail-in ballots.

Oakes told Action News Jax she wants to make sure she clears up one huge misconception about mail-in ballots.

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“We often hear the rumors that vote-by-mail ballots are not counted unless a race is close. That's so untrue! They're actually the first ballots to be counted,” said Oakes.

Oakes told Action News Jax the deadline to have your vote-by-mail ballot into the elections office is 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6 -- Election Day.

Early voting will be open in St. Johns County until Saturday, Nov. 3.

Cox Media Group