Okla. Admin. Code § 230:30-9-5.2

Current through Vol. 41, No. 19, June 17, 2024

Section 230:30-9-5.2 - Online absentee ballot delivery to uniformed services and overseas voters

(a) Uniformed services voters, overseas voters, and the eligible spouses and dependents of both groups, may request online delivery of their absentee ballots. The FPCA provides a place for the voter to indicate his or her preferred ballot delivery method. Voters who request online delivery are required to provide a valid email address and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

(1) Voters who prefer online ballot delivery but who do not include the last four digits of their Social Security numbers will receive a notice by email that their request for online delivery cannot be honored until they provide the last four digits of their Social Security numbers. Absentee ballots will be mailed to these voters instead.

(2) Voters who request online delivery but whose provided email address prove to be incomplete or invalid will receive absentee ballots by mail.

(b) When an application for absentee ballots from a uniformed services or overseas voter is entered in MESA with "Online" delivery selected, the voter will receive an e-mail from the County Election Board generated by the Oklahoma Military and Overseas Ballots Online system (OMOBO) confirming receipt of the application and providing information about accessing ballots online. If more than one e-mail address has been entered in MESA for a uniformed services or overseas voter, all system-generated e-mails are sent to all recorded e-mail addresses.

(1) Application received and ballots are immediately available. This e-mail notifies the voter that his or her new application for absentee ballots has been received and processed and that ballots are available for a current election. This e-mail contains a hyperlink to the OMOBO system login page. The e-mail does not contain a ballot.

(2) Application received but ballots are not immediately available. This e-mail notifies the voter that the application for absentee ballots has been received and processed and that the voter will receive another e-mail when ballots are available for an election.

(3) Ballots are available. This e-mail notifies a voter with a current application on file ballots are available for an election. The e-mail contains a hyperlink to the OMOBO login page. The e-mail does not contain a ballot.

(c) In the event that an e-mail sent to a uniformed services or overseas voter cannot be delivered ("bounces"), the OMOBO system will mark the e-mail address "Undeliverable" in MESA. If more than one e-mail address has been entered in MESA, emails will continue to be sent to the other address. In the event that all e-mail addresses entered in MESA for a voter are marked "Undeliverable," the voter's ballot delivery method will be changed automatically to "Mail" and mailing labels will be created for the voter. The mailing labels will print the next time County Election Board personnel generate and print absentee mailing labels for uniformed services and overseas voters. County Election Board personnel shall monitor the E-mail Activity Log in MESA on a regular basis from the first time "ballots available" e-mails are sent for an election through the day of the election. Upon finding a bounced e-mail listed on the E-mail Activity Log, County Election Board personnel immediately shall verify that the e-mail address in MESA was entered correctly.

(1) If an error is found, correct the e-mail address, uncheck the "Undeliverable" box beside the address, and save the updated application. If the corrected address is the only e-mail address for that voter, a new "ballots available" e-mail will be generated and sent by OMOBO. (If another valid e-mail address is available in MESA, a new e-mail will not be sent at this time.)

(2) If the e-mail address in MESA appears to be correct, request and print absentee ballot mailing labels, prepare a ballot packet, and mail the absentee ballots.

(d) The e-mails sent to uniformed services and overseas voters are generated automatically by the OMOBO system. When the State Election Board staff finalizes the electronic versions of the ballots for an election, a process is initiated for each county that generates and sends the "ballots available" e-mails to the eligible voters. A message appears in the Election Control Panel window in MESA to notify the County Election Board that OMOBO ballots are available and e-mails have been sent. Absentee application information in MESA syncs with the OMOBO system every six hours and sends e-mails to new applicants through election day.

Okla. Admin. Code § 230:30-9-5.2

Added at 27 Ok Reg 598, eff 1-1-10 (emergency) ; Added at 27 Ok Reg 1133, eff 6-1-10 ; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 1154, eff 7-1-11 ; 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