Voters in Garvin County who want absentee ballots mailed to them for the Feb. 11 board of education election, Garvin County special election and City of Wynnewood special election should apply now.
Absentee ballot applications can be accepted until 5 p.m. Jan. 27, but Garvin County Election Board Secretary Holly Levis said voters are encouraged to apply early. Application forms are available at the County Election Board office,on the first floor of the Garvin County Courthouse, 201 W. Grant Ave., Room 8, in Pauls Valley. Applications are also available online at elections.ok.gov.
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, Levis said. However, a voter must be registered and reside at an address within the geographical boundaries of a school district or a municipality to be eligible to vote in school district or municipal elections.
By stating one of the following reasons on their applications, absentee voters can activate special conditions that make it easier for them to use absentee ballots. The reasons are:
•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, by email, online or via an agent who is at least 16 years of age and who is not employed by or related within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity to any person whose name appears on the ballot.
•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 these persons to vote under circumstances similar to those at a regular precinct polling place. They may apply only by mail, by fax, by email, online or via an agent who is at least 16 years of age and who is not employed by or related within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity to any person whose name appears on the ballot.
•Military personnel and residents of the county living overseas and the spouses and dependents of each group are eligible receive absentee ballots. These voters may apply only by mail, fax, or by email. Military personnel should contact the Voting Service Officers in their units for application forms and additional information or visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program website (www.fvap.gov/ oklahoma) for more information and instructions. Residents of Oklahoma living overseas can obtain the same materials from any United States military installation and from United States Embassies and Consulates as well as on the FVAP website.
