Published: January 11, 2008 04:26 pm         

Voters intending to vote absentee should register right away

Voters in Garfield County should apply now if they want to have absentee ballots mailed to them for the Feb. 5 Waukomis I-1, Pioneer-Pleasant Vale I-56, Pond Creek-Hunter I-90, Hennessey I-16, Mulhall-Orlando I-3 annual school elections and for the presidential preferential primary election, said Lue Ann Root, Garfield County Election Board secretary.

Although the county election board can accept applications for absentee ballots until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30, voters who want to vote by absentee ballot are urged to apply early, she said. Absentee ballot application forms are available at the county election board office, 903 Failing.

“At least two mail transactions must be made,” Root said. “The county election board must mail the ballots to the voter and the voter must return the voted ballots by mail.” Ballots must be in the hands of the county election board by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Feb. 5, in order to be counted.

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot in any election in which he or she is eligible to vote. It is not necessary to give a reason for voting absentee.

“While anyone can vote absentee without giving a reason, the law still provides several excuses and it is to the advantage of some voters to use one of them,” Root said. By stating one or more of the following reasons on their applications, voters can activate some special conditions that make it easier for them to use absentee ballots, she said. Those reasons include:

• Voters who are physically incapacitated and voters who care for physically incapacitated persons who cannot be left unattended may vote absentee. They may apply only by mail, by fax or by telegraph.

• Voters who are confined to nursing homes in the county may vote absentee. An absentee voting board actually goes to the nursing home a few days before the election, sets up a small polling place and allows those persons to vote under circumstances similar to those at a regular precinct polling place. They may apply only by mail or by fax.

• Military personnel and residents of the county living overseas and their spouses and dependents are eligible to vote absentee without being registered. These voters may apply only by mail or by fax. Military personnel should contact the voting assistance officers in their units for application forms and additional information. Residents of Oklahoma living overseas can obtain the same materials from any U.S. military installation and from U.S. Embassies and Consulates.