KIOWA COUNTY – Kiowa County voters who want an absentee ballot mailed to them for the Aug. 12 Snyder School District/EMS 522 election should apply now, Kiowa County Election Board Secretary Terri Meinert said in a news release.
Absentee ballots are available to any registered voter, provided they are eligible to vote in the election for which they are requesting the ballot. No reason is needed to cast an absentee ballot.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the upcoming election is July 28, according to the news release.
Voters may submit their request using the OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/ elections/ovp. Request forms are also available at oklahoma. gov/elections and at the Kiowa County Election Board office, 201 N. Lincoln in Hobart.
Voters must allow time for absentee ballots to be received, completed and returned to the election board, Meinert said.
“With some exceptions, all absentee ballots must be notarized before being returned,” she said. “Voters should give themselves plenty of time to make sure all steps have been followed and that the ballot is returned correctly in order to be counted.”
Voters who are exempt from the notarization requirement include those who are physically incapacitated, people who care for physically incapacitated voters who cannot be left alone, and voters confined to nursing homes. Those voters may opt to have their ballot witnessed by two people.
Military personnel and people who live overseas, along with their spouses and dependents, are eligible for certain allowances. Service men and women should contact the voting service officer in their unit for absentee application forms.
Voters who live overseas may obtain absentee voting applications from any U.S. military installation, embassy or consulate.
Military personnel and overseas residents who are already registered to vote in Oklahoma may apply for absentee ballots using the OK Voter Portal. People who need to complete a new voter registration application should apply through the Federal Voting Assistance Program at FVAP.gov.
All completed absentee ballots must be in the election board’s hands no later than 7 p.m. the day of the election.
The Kiowa County Election Board is open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more details, contact the board at (580) 726-2509 or email kiowacounty@ elections.ok.gov.