We are now just five days away from the primary election, and if you want your vote to be counted, you may want to save the postage at this point.

On Tuesday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson urged people with absentee ballots to return them to their local clerk’s office or drop box instead of using the mail to ensure it’s counted in the Aug. 4 statewide primary, according to an article by The Associated Press.

Voters can return their ballot to the drop box in their city or township. A list can be found online.

Benson also said all absentee ballot requests should be made in person at the clerk’s office. Voters should prepare to both request and vote their ballot in the same visit, due to the possibility of postal delays.

Nearly 2 million absentee ballots had been issued as of Tuesday, 3.6 times the 546,000 that were issued at the same point in 2016. About 903,000 had been returned, a nearly threefold increase from four years ago.

Absentee voting is on the rise following the approval of no-reason absentee voting in 2018 and is being emphasized as a safer option than in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

Voting gives a voice to the people, and if you want your voice to be heard, be sure to fill out your absentee ballot and stop at your local clerk’s office before Tuesday night.