§ 6-103. Absentee voting.
A. Request for Ballot, Request for Absentee Ballot Application, and Status of Ballots. Any qualified voter shall be entitled to vote by absentee ballot, and may request the absentee ballot application provided by the Office. A legible photocopy of a government-issued photo identification is required to be submitted with the application.
1. Qualified voters may request to be a permanent absentee ballot voter, whereas an absentee ballot shall automatically be issued every election thereafter to the voter’s last known address.
2. Qualified voters may request to be a temporary absentee ballot voter, whereas an absentee ballot shall be issued for every election within the specified election calendar year to the voter’s last known address.
3. Absentee ballot applications shall be accepted until forty-five (45) calendar days prior to election day.
4. Ballots shall not be numbered to maintain anonymity.
5. All absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots mailed to voters shall bear standard U.S. first-class postage and be mailed by the Office, with the exception of ballots mailed to addresses outside the continental U.S. Ballots mailed to addresses outside the continental U.S. may be sent by expedited delivery, provided all ballots mailed to addresses outside the continental U.S. are mailed using the same level of expedited delivery.
6. Absentee ballots shall only be mailed from the United States Post Office located in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
7. Any eligible voter who requests an absentee ballot and does not complete and mail the ballot, but instead wishes to cast his or her vote in person, must first:
a. Surrender his or her absentee ballot, if in their possession, on election day; or
b. Sign an affidavit stating they requested an absentee ballot but did not vote it. Previously issued absentee ballots belonging to an affiant shall be considered void.
8. All absentee ballot applications shall be processed by Election Office staff.
B. Delivery or Mailing of Documents to Applicant. Unless it is evident that the applicant for an absentee ballot is not an eligible voter, the Office shall immediately cause an absentee ballot to be delivered or mailed in accordance with subsection (A)(6) of this section, provided such mailing does not occur more than forty-five (45) calendar days before the election.
C. Receipt of Voter’s Ballot. The Board shall maintain an address at the United States Post Office located in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, designated solely for the purpose of receiving absentee ballots. Absentee ballots mailed to any address other than the address designated by the Board shall be considered void. The absentee ballots shall remain in a locked ballot box in the Pawhuska, Oklahoma, post office until early processing. Early processing may take place prior to election day as determined by the Board. Poll watchers may be present. Additional absentee ballots received after early processing shall remain in a locked ballot box at the post office until election day. ONCA 17-107, eff. Oct. 4, 2017; ONCA 20-38, eff. Apr. 17, 2020.