Absentee ballot applications for this month’s primary election are running well ahead of two years ago in Pottawatomie County and are about the same in Lincoln County, the Election Board secretaries in the two counties said.
Pottawatomie County Election Board Secretary Jeannie Stover said, “Our first mail out we sent 1,314 absentee ballot packets for the primary election. That compares to mailing out 488 the entire time four years ago in 2016 and that was a presidential election year.” Stover noted two years
Stover noted two years ago in 2018 her office mailed out 839.
Lincoln County Election Board Secretary Melissa Stambaugh said the applications so far are running about same as they were two and four years ago.
Stover added, “We’re averaging sending out about 30 to 40 each day. We’re already above those two elections,” Stover said.
She stated, “We are very busy. It’s been overwhelming.”
Stover attributes most all of the huge increase to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stambaugh, without citing any particular figures, said, “Our initial mail out wasn’t any different than it has been. As word gets out and people are aware, I’m sure more will apply,” she thinks.
Stover predicted, “I think we’ll see this from now on. We look for it to continue.”
For this year’s presidential primary election in March, they mailed out 862 absentee ballots she stated.
Stover believes, “There would have been an increase anyway, but not this much. It’s a whole new world out there,” she continued.
Stambaugh said, “I’m assuming metropolitan areas will have many more than we do.” She added,
“We may be up a little, but nothing significant.”
Deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is Tuesday, June 23, a week before the June 30 primary election. The Election Board must receive the ballot back by 7 p.m. on Election Day, she reminds voters.
“People can actually drop their absentee ballot at the Election Board, but that has to be by Monday, June 29, the day before the election,” Stover stressed.
This year, due to Senate Bill 210 passed by the Legislature, there are new options for the Absentee Ballot Affidavit verification.
Instead of having his or her signature witnessed by two people, a voter has the option of attaching a copy of an identification document to the affidavit envelope instead.
The voter still has to sign the affidavit but can attach one of the following forms of identification considered acceptable under Oklahoma law.
One is a valid photo identification issued by the state of Oklahoma or by a federally recognized Native American nation or tribe.
Another is a valid photo ID issued by a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces because of being a member or a retired member of that service branch.
The third is the free Voter ID card mailed to a voter by the County Election Board when he or she registers to vote.