The return envelope shall be mailed or delivered to the officer who issued the same; provided, that an absentee ballot must be received by the issuing officer by 8:00 p.m. on the day of election before such ballot may be counted.
Upon receipt of an absent elector’s ballot the county clerk of the county wherein such elector resides shall verify the authenticity of the affidavit and shall write or stamp upon the envelope containing the same, the date and hour such envelope was received in his office and record the information pursuant to section 34-1011, Idaho Code. He shall safely keep and preserve all absent electors’ ballots unopened until the time prescribed for delivery to the polls or to the central count ballot processing center.