FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Absentee ballots should start ending up in voters’ mailboxes soon.

The Allen County Election Board sent over 2,100 absentee ballots Friday, signalling the official start of the early voting process for the 2016 elections. Director of Elections Beth Dlug says the ballots were only sent to those who met eligibility requirements and applied ahead of time.

Director of Elections Beth Dlug says the ballots were only sent to those who met eligibility requirements and applied ahead of time:

“They call it an ‘excuse,’ such as ‘I’m going to be out of the county, I’m confined to my workplace on election day, I won’t be able to leave my home,’ things like that. If they want to vote early in-office, not mail in an absentee ballot, they can do that without an excuse.”

Allen County voters can still apply for an absentee ballot by clicking on this link.

Dlug expects 10,000 to 14,000 absentee ballots to be cast this year.