Voters in Tulsa County who want absentee ballots mailed to them for the February 14, Board of Education Primary for ISD-11 Owasso Public Schools Office No. 3, Special Propositions Elections for ISD-7 Skiatook Public Schools, ISD-5 Jenks Public Schools and ISD-9 Union Public Schools; as well as the City of Broken Arrow Special PSO Utility Franchise Election should apply now, County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman said today.

Absentee ballots are available to any registered voter, 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, January 30. 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 555 N. Denver Avenue, Tulsa.

Freeman 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 ballots must be notarized before being returned. Voters should give themselves plenty of time to make sure all steps have been followed and that the ballot is returned correctly in order to be counted,” Freeman said.

Voters exempt from having a ballot notarized include those who are physically incapacitated, those who care for physically incapacitated individuals that cannot be left alone, and voters confined to nursing homes. Those voters may opt to have their ballot witnessed by two people.

Military personnel and residents living overseas, along with their spouses and dependents are also eligible for certain allowances. Military personnel should contact Voting Service Officers in their units for absentee application forms. Residents living overseas may obtain absentee voting applications from any United States military installation or United States Embassy or 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.

The Tulsa County Election Board is located at 555 N. Denver Avenue, Tulsa and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. For questions, please contact the Election Board at 918-596-5780 or www.tulsacounty.org.