I'm a student out of state, so I have to vote absentee (and have done so since I started voting). I've never had my ballot get lost in the mail, but there have been long delays. Last fall, I requested my ballot early but only got it the day after the election, more than four weeks after it was sent.

However, if you're not away like I am, you could sign up to vote by mail and use a drop box, and if you end up never receiving your ballot you can still cast a provisional ballot in person. There's also the option of voting early in person at your county's board of elections. That said, I'd probably just vote in person on election day if I could.