ABSENTEE VOTING IN OKLAHOMA

 

Absentee voting is an easy and convenient way to exercise your right to vote.

Any registered voter in Oklahoma may vote by absentee ballot. It is not necessary to give a reason for voting absentee.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for absentee ballots must be made in writing. Absentee ballot application forms are available from all county election boards and from the State Election Board. Or, download a form here.

You are not required to use the form, however. You may write a letter to your county election board to apply for absentee ballots. The letter must contain the following information.

  • your name
  • your birth date
  • the address at which you are registered to vote
  • the election or elections for which you are requesting ballots
  • the address to which the ballots should be mailed
  • your signature
You may apply for absentee ballots for one election, for several elections or for all elections in which you are eligible to vote during the calendar year in which the application is submitted.

You may mail your absentee ballot application to the county election board, you may fax it or you may deliver your own application personally to the county election board office. (You may not deliver an application for another person, however. It's the law.) You also may send a telegram to apply.

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed to you is always 5 p.m. on Wednesday preceding the election.

 

RETURNING YOUR BALLOT

If your absentee ballot is mailed to you, you must return it to the county election board by mail. An absentee ballot must be received by the county election board before 7 p.m. on election day to be counted.

 

IN-PERSON ABSENTEE VOTING

Voters may cast an absentee ballot in person at the county election board office from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Monday before all elections. For state and federal elections only, in-person absentee voting also is available from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. In-person absentee voters must fill out and sign an application form when they arrive to vote.


SPECIAL CONDITIONS

Although any voter can vote an absentee ballot without giving a reason, the law still contains some "excuses" for voting absentee. Some voters benefit by using one of those excuses when they apply for absentee ballots. These excuses activate special conditions that make absentee voting even easier.

Physically incapacitated voters and voters who care for physically incapacitated persons who cannot be left alone may vote by absentee ballot. These voters may submit their applications only by mail, fax, or telegraph. They are not required to have their signatures on the absentee affidavits notarized. They are required to have their signatures witnessed by two people.

Voters in nursing homes in the same county where they are registered voters may vote absentee. They may submit their applications only by mail, fax, or telegraph. An Absentee Voting Board will go to the nursing home a few days before the election to allow these voters to cast their ballots.

Oklahomans who are in the military or who are living overseas and their spouses and dependents may vote by absentee ballot even if they are not registered to vote. (They must be eligible to be registered, however.) Military and overseas voters may submit their applications only by mail or by fax. Military voters should contact the Voting Assistance Officers in their units for application forms and information. Overseas voters may obtain the same materials at United States military installations, embassies and consulates, or online from the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

 

EMERGENCY ABSENTEE VOTERS

Voters who become incapacitated after 5 p.m. on the Tuesday preceding an election may receive an absentee ballot through special emergency procedures. These voters must make a written request to the county election board. The request must be accompanied by a statement from a doctor that the voter is incapacitated and will be unable to vote in person on election day. The voter's request and the doctor's statement must be taken to the county election board office by a person the voter chooses. The person becomes the voter's "agent."

The county election board can provide a form to be used for both the voter's request and the doctor's statement.

The agent will receive the voter's ballot and will deliver it to the voter. After the voter marks the ballot, the agent must return it to the county election board office before 7 p.m. election day.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For additional information about voting in Oklahoma, contact your local county election board or the State Election Board.

Oklahoma State Election Board
Room B-6, State Capitol Building
PO Box 53156
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73152
405-521-2391
405-521-6457 fax



Return to Creek County Election Board Home Page

 

Returning Your Ballot

You must return your absentee ballot to the county election board by mail. (Federal Express or other overnight services are not "by mail.")

An absentee ballot must be in the hands of the county election board by 7 p.m. on election day to be counted.

Special Conditions

The law still includes some "excuses" for voters to use when they apply for absentee ballots. The excuses activate special conditions for some voters that make it easier to vote absentee.

Physically incapacitated voters and voters who care for physically
incapacitated persons who cannot be left alone may vote by absentee ballot. These voters may apply for absentee ballots only by mail, fax, or telegraph. Their absentee ballot affidavits do not have to be notarized, but they do have to be witnessed by two people.

Voters in nursing homes in the same county where they are registered to vote may vote by absentee ballot. These voters may apply for absentee ballots only by mail, fax, or telegraph. Their absentee ballots are delivered to the nursing home by an Absentee Voting Board a few days before the election.

Oklahomans who are in the military or who are living overseas and their spouses and dependents may vote by absentee ballot even if they are not registered to vote. (They must be eligible to be registered to vote, however.) Military and overseas voters may apply for absentee ballots by mail or fax. Military voters should contact the Voting Service Officers in their units for application forms and information. Overseas voters may obtain the same materials at any United States military base, embassy or consulate.

Emergency Absentee Voters

Voters who become incapacitated after 5 p.m. on the Tuesday preceding an election may apply for an absentee ballot through special emergency procedures. These voters must send a written request to their local county election board. The request must also include a doctor's statement that the voter is incapacitated and unable to vote in person. The county election board has a form for this purpose.

The voter chooses someone to deliver the request for ballots and the doctor's statement to the county election board. This person is the voter's agent. The agent receives the voter's ballot and delivers it to the voter. After the voter marks the ballot, the agent returns it to the county election board. The agent must return the voted ballot to the county election board by 7 p.m. on election day.

In-Person Absentee Voting

Voters may vote an absentee ballot in person at the county election board office on Friday and Monday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.  and on Saturday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. before every election. The Absentee Voting Board is on duty on those days.

Absentee Voting in Oklahoma

Absentee voting is an easy and convenient way to exercise your right to vote.

Any registered voter in Oklahoma may vote by absentee ballot. You don't have to give a reason for wanting to vote absentee.

How to Apply

Applications for absentee ballots must be made in writing. Absentee ballot application forms are available from all county election boards and from the State Election Board.

You are not required to use the form, however. You may write a letter to your county election board to apply for absentee ballots. The letter must contain the following information.

    · your name
    · your date of birth
    · the address at which you are registered to vote
    · the election or elections for which you are requesting ballots
    · the address to which the ballots should be mailed
    · your signature

You may apply for absentee ballots for specific elections or for all the elections in which you are eligible to vote during the calendar year.

You may mail your application to the county election board, or you may fax it. You also may personally deliver your own application to the county election board office. (You may not, however, deliver someone else's application -- it's the law!)

The deadline to apply to have an absentee ballot mailed to you is always 5 p.m. on Wednesday before the election.

If you apply for all elections, you must renew your application each year to continue receiving absentee ballots.

 

Additional Information

For additional information about voting in Oklahoma, contact your local Creek County election board, or write or call the State Election Board.

State Election Board
P.O. Box 53156
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
(405) 521-2391
Internet Address: http://www.state.ok.us

Persons using a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the State Election Board's TDD: (405) 521-3028. This number is reserved for TDD calls only.

PREVIOUS