Voters in Okmulgee County who want absentee ballots mailed to them for the Oct. 14 Morris Public Schools Special Election should apply now, County Election Board Secretary Ashley Carnes said today.

Absentee ballots are available to all registered voters, provided they are eligible to vote in the election requested. No excuse is needed to vote by absentee ballot. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. Monday, September 29. Voters can submit a request using the OK Voter Portal at oklahoma. gov/elections/ovp. Request forms are also available at oklahoma. gov/elections and at the County Election Board office located at 314 W. 7th Street, Room 102 in Okmulgee.

Carnes reminds voters to allow time for an absentee ballot to be received, completed, and returned by mail to the County Election Board. “With some exceptions, all absentee ballot affidavits must be notarized before being returned,” Carnes said. “Voters should give themselves plenty of time to make sure all steps have been followed and that the ballot is returned on time in order to be counted.”

Voters exempt from having an absentee ballot affidavit notarized include those who are physically incapacitated and those who care for physically incapacitated individuals who cannot be left alone. Voters who request a “physically incapacitated” ballot must have the signature on their absentee ballot affidavit witnessed by two people.

Military personnel and residents living overseas, along with their spouses and dependents, are also eligible for specific allowances. Military personnel should contact the Voting Services Officer in their unit for an Absentee Ballot Application. Residents living overseas may obtain Absentee Ballot Applications from any United States military installation, United States Embassy, or United States Consulate. Military personnel and overseas citizens who are already registered voters in Oklahoma may apply for absentee ballots using the OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp. Those who need to complete a new Voter Registration Application should apply through the Federal Voting Assistance Program at FVAP.gov.

All completed absentee ballots must be in the hands of the County Election Board no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Sample ballots are available for the October 14 Election. Voters can download a sample ballot using the State Election Board OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp or pick up a copy at the Okmulgee County Election Board during regular business hours.

Okmulgee County Election Board Secretary Ashley Carnes reminds voters that sample ballots are specific to each person. “If the OK Voter Portal indicates that you have no sample ballots available, it means you are not eligible to vote in an upcoming election. We recommend checking the OK Voter Portal to make sure you have an election before heading to the polls.”

According to Carnes, sample ballots will also be posted outside every precinct polling place on Election Day, so voters can review them before casting their votes.

The Okmulgee County Election Board is located at 314 W. 7th Street, Room 102 in Okmulgee, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For questions, please contact the Election Board at 918-756-2365 or OkmulgeeCounty@elections. ok.gov.

You can also find the Okmulgee County Election Board on Facebook at www.facebook. com/OkmulgeeCountyElectionBoard/.