I've always understood that absentee ballots are not counted unless an election is close and the absentee ballots could make a difference. With all elections now being conducted by mail, is this still the case?

Answer: No, that is not the case, according to Coos County Election Deputy DeDe Murphy. In the past, elections workers always have counted the ballots. And even now with mail-in ballots, she said, all ballots are counted as long as they are received by the deadline, and that includes absentees.