photo by: Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo

In this file photo from May 7, 2018, a stack of mail-in ballots sits at the Douglas County Courthouse.

Douglas County has launched a new tool to help voters track their advance mail ballots.

The county announced in a Wednesday news release that the new tool, called Ballot Scout, allows voters and election staff to track the delivery and receipt of mail-in ballots through the United States Postal Service.

The tool uses USPS scan data to track the exact location of a ballot in the mail system, which allows voters to track their ballots by viewing the status of their ballot as being mailed, in transit or delivered. Voters can also opt in to a real-time messaging service, which sends text or email notifications to voters so they can track their ballot and know it has been received by the Douglas County clerk’s office.

“We typically receive quite a few phone calls from voters who want to know whether we’ve received their ballots, so we are excited to provide this new tracking tool for them,” Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said in the news release. “Voters already get tracking information on packages. This system uses the same technology to provide additional security to the vote-at-home ballots.”

The tool also allows election staff to make sure ballots are being delivered to the correct locations in a timely manner and provides them with the ability to correct any issues that arise.

The deadline to request an advance ballot to be mailed is July 28, and the primary election is Aug. 4. Douglas County voters can use the new tool by visiting the county’s elections website, douglascountyelections.com.