June 28 Election: All the information you need

Voters will go to the polls Tuesday for the June 28 Primary Election, Logan County Election Board Secretary Erin Dorio said on Thursday.

Voters will go to the polls for the Logan County sheriff and district two county commissioner races.

Related article: Logan County Candidate Forum 2016: Logan County Sheriff
Related article: Logan County Candidate Forum 2016: District 2 County Commissioner

Dorio reminds everyone to keep the following information and tips in mind as the election approaches.

Early voting will be available at the County Election Board office from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.  Early voting is also available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Lines are possible at peak voting times. Wait times will likely be shortest at mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Anyone in line to vote at 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.

Anyone who needs to look up their polling place, verify their registration information, or view a sample ballot can do so online. The Online Voter Tool can be accessed on the Oklahoma State Election Board’s website: www.elections.ok.gov. Those who vote by mail can also check the status of their ballot using the Online Voter Tool. Sample ballots are also available at the County Election Board office.

Oklahoma law requires every voter who votes in person at the precinct polling place or during early voting at the County Election Board to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot. There are three ways for voters to prove their identity under the law (only one proof of identity is required): Show a valid photo ID issued by federal, state, or tribal government; or show the free voter identification card issued to every voter by the County Election Board; or sign an affidavit and vote a provisional ballot. (If the information on the affidavit matches official voter registration records, the ballot will be counted after Election Day.)

Physically disabled voters who cannot enter the polling place, need help marking their ballots, blind or visually disabled voters and illiterate voters may be assisted by a person the voter chooses. In all cases, a person providing such assistance may not be the voter’s employer or an agent of the employer or an officer or agent of the voter’s union. A person providing assistance also must swear or affirm that the voter’s ballots will be marked in accordance with the voter’s wishes. Alternatively, all blind, visually impaired, and physically disabled voters in Logan County may use the audio-tactile interface (ATI), a feature offered on all Oklahoma voting devices, to vote privately and independently, either at Logan County Election Board during early voting or at their assigned polling place on election day.

Voters who have moved since the last election, but who have not transferred their voter registration to their new address, may do so on Election Day by going to vote at the polling place where their registration has been in the past. While voting, they may fill out a form instructing the County Election Board to transfer their registration to the new address before the next election.

Those who became physically incapacitated after 5 p.m. Tuesday June 21 still can request an emergency absentee ballot. Those who might qualify for an emergency absentee ballot should contact the County Election Board office at 405-282-1900 as soon as possible for more information.

Any violation of election law will be reported to the proper law enforcement authorities. Electioneering is not allowed within 300 feet of a ballot box. It is also unlawful to remove a ballot from the polling location, possess intoxicating liquors within half a mile of a polling place or to disclose how you voted while within the election enclosure.

For additional election-related information, visit: www.elections.ok.gov.

Deadline to Request Absentee Ballots Nears

Less than a week remains for registered voters in Logan County to apply for absentee ballots to be mailed to them for the June 28 Primary Election.

Applications for absentee ballots must be received by the County Election Board no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, to be processed in time for the election.

Absentee voters may apply in person at the County Election Board office or may send their applications by mail, fax, or e-mail. An online version of the form may be filled out and submitted electronically at www.elections.ok.gov.  Any registered voter eligible to vote in the election may vote by absentee ballot without stating a reason, Dorio said, however absentee voters can activate certain special conditions in the following circumstances:

• Registered voters who are physically incapacitated and voters who care for physically incapacitated persons who cannot be left unattended may apply for absentee ballots only by mail, fax, e-mail, online or via an agent who is at least 16 years of age and who is not employed by or related within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity to any person whose name appears on the ballot.
• Registered voters who are confined to nursing homes in the county may apply by mail, by fax, by e-mail, online or via an agent who is at least 16 years of age and who is not employed by or related within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity to any person whose name appears on the ballot.
• Military personnel, residents of Logan County living overseas, and the spouses and dependents of each group may apply only by mail, by fax, or by e-mail.  For more information and instructions, military and overseas voters may visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program website: www.fvap.gov/oklahoma.

For more information on absentee voting, contact the County Election Board at 224 E Vilas Ave, Guthrie, OK  73044.  The telephone number is 405-282-1900.  The County Election Board’s fax number is 405-282-1994.