Absentee Application & Ballot Information - City of Smiths Station AL

ABSENTEE VOTING ELIGIBILITY

A voter may cast an absentee ballot if he or she:

EXPECTS TO BE ABSENT FROM THE CITY on election day
IS ILL OR HAS A PHYSICAL DISABILITY that prevents a trip to the polling place
IS PHYSICALLY INCAPACITATED AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO VOTE IN PERSON BECAUSE THEY CANNOT ACCESS THEIR ASSIGNED POLLING PLACE DUE TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING DISABILITIES (neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, or other life-altering disorder that affects his or her ability to perform manual tasks, stand for any length of time, walk unassisted, see, hear or speak) AND: A) HE OR SHE IS AN ELDERLY VOTER AGED 65 OR OLDER; OR B) HE OR SHE IS A VOTER WITH A DISABILITY
IS A REGISTERED ALABAMA VOTER LIVING OUTSIDE THE CITY, such as a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside the United States, a college student, or a spouse or child of such a person
IS AN APPOINTED ELECTION OFFICER OR POLL WATCHER at a polling place other than his or her regular polling place
EXPECTS TO WORK A REQUIRED SHIFT, 10-HOURS OR MORE, that coincides with polling hours
IS A CAREGIVER for a family member to the second degree of kinship by affinity or consanguinity and the family member is confined to his or her home
IS CURRENTLY INCARCERATED in prison or jail and has not been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude

The absentee ballot application must be received by the Absentee Election Manager by the 7th day prior to the election if delivered by mail and the 5th day prior to the election if delivered by hand.

ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATION

To obtain an absentee ballot, write, call or visit the local Absentee Election Manager (City Clerk), request an absentee ballot, and provide the following: 2336 Panther Parkway, Smiths Station 334-297-8771 EXT 3

name and residential address (or other such information in order to verify voter registration)
a copy of your valid photo identification
election for which the ballot is requested
reason for absence from polls on election day
party choice, if the election is a party primary. (It is not necessary to give a party choice for a general election; however, in a party primary a voter may participate in only one political party’s primary; thus a choice must be designated so that the appropriate ballot can be provided. If the voter declines or fails to designate a choice for a primary or primary runoff ballot, the absentee election manager may send only the ballot for constitutional amendments.)
address to which the ballot should be mailed
voter signature. (Signature must be original, electronic signatures will not be accepted. If a mark is made in place of a signature, it must be witnessed.)

The absentee ballot application must be returned to the Absentee Election Manager, City Clerk, by the voter in person (or by the voter’s designee in the case of medical emergency voting), by U.S. Mail, or by commercial carrier. No absentee ballot application may be mailed in the same envelope as another voter’s absentee ballot application.

Upon receiving the absentee ballot application, the Absentee Election Manager, City Clerk may request additional evidence on the reason for voting absentee if the voter has a history of absentee voting. Absentee ballot applications returned by mail must be received no later than 7 days before the election. Absentee ballot applications returned by hand must be received no later than 5 days before the election.

BALLOT RECEIPT/RETURN
If the absentee ballot application is approved, the Absentee Election Manager

forwards the absentee ballot by U.S. Mail or
personally hands the absentee ballot to the voter (or to a designee in the case of medical emergency absentee voting)

BALLOT PROCEDURE

The absentee ballot comes with 3 envelopes — one plain (the secrecy envelope), one with an affidavit, or oath, printed on the outside, and one plain pre-addressed envelope, (the outer envelope). Once the voter casts the ballot, the procedure is as follows:

Seal the ballot in the plain envelope
Place the plain envelope inside the accompanying affidavit envelope
Seal the affidavit envelope and complete the affidavit that is on the outside of the envelope
Sign the affidavit and have the signature witnessed by either a notary public or two witnesses 18 years of age or older

WITNESSES OR NOTARIZATION
An absentee ballot cannot be counted unless the affidavit is notarized or has the signatures of two witnesses. Electronic or remote notarization is not permitted.

The voter has only the following legal ways to return the absentee ballot:

MAIL the absentee ballot by U.S. Mail to P. O. Box 250, Smiths Station, AL 36877
forwards the absentee ballot by commercial carrier
personally hands their own absentee ballot to the absentee election manager, City Clerk (or delivers by a designee in the case of emergency absentee voting) 2336 Panther Parkway

Smiths Station, AL 36877

VOTING DEADLINE
An absentee ballot returned by mail must be received by the Absentee Election Manager, City Clerk no later than noon on election day. If hand-delivered, the ballot must be in the office of the Absentee Election Manager by the close of business (but no later than 5 p.m.) on the day prior to the election.

VOTER RESOURCES