Absentee Voters Should Apply Now for Nov. 10 Election

Voters who want to have absentee ballots mailed to them for the Nov. 10 Sallisaw Special Proposition Municipal Election should apply now, Cindy Osborn, Sequoyah County Election Board secretary, said this week.

The election is to decide if Sequoyah Memorial Hospital can use sales tax revenue for equipment and maintenance.

Although the election board can accept applications for absentee ballots until 5 p.m. on Nov. 4, Osborn urged voters who want to vote by absentee ballot to apply early.

Absentee ballot applications are available at the election board office at 110 E. Creek Ave. in Sallisaw and may be downloaded and printed at www.elections.ok.gov.

At least two mail transactions must be made, Osborn said.

"The election board must mail the ballots to the voter and the voter must return the voted ballots by mail," she explained. "Ballots must be in the hands of the election board by 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 in order to be counted."

Osborn said that any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot in any election in which he or she is eligible to vote. However, a voter must be registered and reside at an address within  the boundaries of the municipality to be eligible to vote in municipal elections. It is not necessary to give a reason or excuse for voting absentee.

Osborn said, "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"

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, fax or email.

--Voters who are confined to nursing homes 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, fax or email.

--Military personnel and residents living overseas and the spouses and dependents of each group are eligible to receive absentee ballots. These voters may apply by mail, fax or email.  Military personnel should contact Voting Service Officers in their units for application forms and additional information or visit the Federal Voting Assistance program website for more information and instructions. Oklahoma residents living overseas may obtain the same materials from any U.S. military installation and from U.S. embassies and consulates as well as from the Federal Voting Assistance Program website.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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