Okla. Admin. Code § 230:30-11-7

Current through Vol. 41, No. 18, June 3, 2024

Section 230:30-11-7 - Undeliverable absentee ballots returned by postal service to County Election Board

(a) In the event that absentee ballots mailed to a voter are returned to the County Election Board by the postal service because they are undeliverable as addressed, County Election Board personnel shall note on the envelope the date the undeliverable ballots were received and shall set them aside in a secure place. Such returned undeliverable absentee ballots shall be retained for 24 months with other absentee voting materials for the election. Do not mail the ballots to another address unless it is provided in writing by the voter in the form of a new application for absentee ballots. If the voter's application includes additional upcoming elections, the application shall be considered cancelled and shall be deactivated in MESA. See 230:30-5-8.2.

(b) When the postal service returns undeliverable absentee ballots to the County Election Board, the Secretary is not required to try to contact the voter to obtain a new or a corrected mailing address. The Secretary may choose to do so, however, if there is sufficient time for such communication before the election, or if the voter has applied for absentee ballots for additional upcoming elections. If the Secretary chooses to contact the voter, the following guidelines should be observed. See (c) of this Section for the suggested contents of a letter to the voter.

(1) If the postal service has provided a forwarding address on the returned mailing envelope, mail a letter to the voter at that address.

(2) If the ballots were not mailed to the voter's residence address, mail a letter to the voter at the residence address or to the mailing address provided on the voter's voter registration application.

(3) If the ballots were mailed to a uniformed services voter or an overseas voter and were returned with a forwarding address, mail a letter to the voter at that address.

(4) If the voter provided an e-mail address on the original application for absentee ballots, send an e-mail to the voter.

(c) Prepare a letter to the voter explaining that the absentee ballots could not be delivered to the voter by the postal service at the address provided on the absentee ballot application form and that ballots cannot be mailed again to that address. Enclose or attach a new application form and ask the voter to fill it out with a new or a corrected mailing address and to return it. Include the deadline for absentee ballot applications for the affected election, or for the next election covered by the original application.

(d) If a voter whose absentee ballots were returned undelivered by the postal service contacts the County Election Board to inquire about the ballots, follow the procedures outlined in 230:30-17-1 through 230:30-17-4 to replace the ballots.

Okla. Admin. Code § 230:30-11-7

Added at 20 Ok Reg 477, eff 1-2-03 (emergency) ; Added at 20 Ok Reg 1097, eff 7-1-03 ; Amended at 21 Ok Reg 550, eff 2-3-04 (emergency) ; Amended at 22 Ok Reg 1869, eff 7-1-05 ; Amended at 30 Ok Reg 1656, eff 7-15-13

Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 34, Issue 24, September 1, 2017, eff. 9/11/2017