SECTION 230:30-11-1.1. Receiving hand-delivered absentee ballots from voters  


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  • (a)   Beginning January 1, 2017, voters who submit standard (no excuse) absentee ballot applications and receive standard (yellow) affidavits are entitled to return their own voted absentee ballots to the County Election Board office in person through the end of regular office hours on the day preceding the election.
    (1)   The absentee ballot and materials must be sealed inside the Return Envelope provided in the voter's absentee ballot packet. The printed return address label on the envelope must indicate "Type: S."
    (2)   The voter must provide proof of identity that meets the same requirements as the proof of identity required during in-person absentee voting and at the precinct polling place on election day. See 230:35-5-55(a)(2)(A). A voter who does not have or who declines to provide appropriate proof of identity shall be instructed to mail the envelope to the County Election Board.
    (b)   County Election Board personnel shall follow these steps to receive a hand-delivered absentee ballot. Do not take the absentee envelope from the voter until you have seen proof of identity.
    (1)   Verify with the proof of identity document that the person is the voter whose name is on the printed return address label on the Return Envelope.
    (2)   Write or stamp the received date on the front of the Return Envelope. Note on the front of the envelope that the ballot was delivered in person by the voter.
    (3)   Record receipt of the absentee ballot in MESA by scanning the barcode on the return address label, by entering the ballot ID number printed on the return address label, or by manually locating the voter's absentee ballot information.
    (4)   Immediately place the sealed return envelope in the same locked ballot box used to secure absentee ballots returned by mail.
    (c)   Absentee ballots cannot be hand-delivered to the County Election Board office by a voter who applied as a physically incapacitated voter (PI) or as a caregiver for an incapacitated person (CI) voter. Absentee ballots cannot be hand-delivered to the County Election Board office by a voter who applied as a uniformed services (US) or overseas voter (OV). Absentee ballots cannot be hand-delivered to the County Election Board office when the office is not open. Any absentee ballot left at the County Election Board office when the office is not open shall be rejected and shall not be counted.
    (d)   In the event that a voter who submitted a standard application for absentee ballots appears at the County Election Board office to hand-deliver an absentee ballot that is not properly sealed inside the envelope set mailed to the voter with the absentee ballot, the Secretary may provide a new set of envelopes - a ballot secrecy envelope, a standard (yellow) affidavit envelope, and a Return Envelope - and a new return address label to the voter. If only the outer envelope is missing, provide an outer envelope and either print a new ballot return label or write the appropriate ballot identification number listed in MESA on the new outer envelope. If a new envelope set is provided, instruct the voter to have the voter's signature on the affidavit envelope notarized and to return the properly sealed envelope set in person or to mail it.
[Source: Added at 34 Ok Reg 1122, eff 9-11-17; Amended at 36 Ok Reg 1545, eff 9-16-19]