From staff reports Kiowa County voters who want absentee ballots mailed to them for the March 4 Lone Wolf School proposition election should apply now, said Kiowa County Election Board Secretary Terri Meinert.
Absentee ballots are available to any registered voter, provided they are eligible to vote in that election. Voters do not need an excuse to cast an absentee ballot.
The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. Feb. 17. 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 St., in Hobart.
Voters must allow time for their absentee ballot to be received, completed and mailed back 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 having their ballot notarized include those who are physically incapacitated, those who care for a physically incapacitated person 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 residents who live overseas, along with their spouses and dependents, are also eligible for certain allowances, according to the news release. Military personnel should contact voting service officers in their units for absentee application forms.
Residents living overseas may obtain absentee voting applications from any U.S. military installation or U.S. embassy or consulate. Military personnel and overseas citizens who are already registered voters in Oklahoma may apply for absentee ballots using the OK Voter Portal.
Those 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 returned to the county election board no later than 7 p.m. the day of the election.
For more information, contact the Kiowa County Election Board at (580) 726-2509 or email kiowacounty@elections. ok.gov.