DOBSON — Problems with absentee ballots have been a source of controversy nationwide since the 2020 election, but a local official says the process in Surry County is reliable.
A number of steps are in place — from the requesting of ballots until completed ones are returned and tabulated — to ensure an accurate and honest count of votes using that method, according to Surry Director of Elections Michella Huff.
Huff has announced that the 2022 Absentee Ballot Request Form is available, with both a fillable version and a print-only version accessible on the county Board of Elections website.
Under state law, any North Carolina registered voter may request, receive and vote a mail-in absentee ballot — with no special circumstance or reason needed.
Absentee request forms can be returned only by mail or in person — except for individuals covered under the Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, who may return requests via email and fax, based on information from Huff.
Further provisions
An absentee request form is invalid if returned by someone other than the voter or a person such as near relative or legal guardian.
Only voters who are blind, disabled or illiterate may receive assistance from someone else, with voters required to identify who aided them.
Among other rules, the form must indicate a single election date for which the voter is requesting a ballot.
At last report, North Carolina will hold a much-anticipated primary election on May 17 in the wake of recent court challenges over redistricting boundaries.
Huff reported last Monday that Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto the previous Friday of a N.C. House bill that recommended June 6 as a new primary date was one key development. “So, the primary election is still scheduled for May 17,” she advised then — although this was not set in stone with additional legal activity pending.
“Oral arguments will be heard in the case with claims that district maps are unconstitutional,” the local elections director advised Monday. “There is a possibility the court could still decide to push the primary back further.”
Later in the week, on Friday, the N.C. Supreme Court ordered that the state draw a new congressional map after finding it unfairly favored Republican candidates, but made no mention of the May primary, according to statewide reports.
Meanwhile, the candidates’ filing period for various local, state and federal offices affected by the 2022 election cycle is scheduled to resume on Feb. 24 after being halted in December by the N.C. Supreme Court in response to redistricting lawsuits.
Processing absentee ballots
The deadline for requesting absentee ballots is May 10. The deadline to return completed ones is Election Day, May 17, by 5 p.m.
Once local elections personnel receive a completed absentee by mail request, they link it to the voter’s registration. If that person is not found to be registered to cast a ballot in Surry County, he or she will receive a letter saying there is no record of this accompanied by a voter registration form.
Someone could fill out an absentee ballot request form 20 times and mail it in to Dobson, but will still only receive one absentee by mail ballot.
After someone receives an absentee ballot in the mail, choices are made by filling in bubbles, then the ballot is sealed in an absentee ballot return envelope.
The process also requires signatures by two witnesses, along with printing their names and addresses, or certification by a notary.
If a voter forgets to sign or fails to get the witnesses to print and sign their names and provide their addresses, the ballot cannot be accepted.
Once an absentee ballot is received, a barcode on the return envelope is scanned and linked to the person’s voter registration. The ballot envelope then is placed on an absentee report for approval by the Surry Board of Elections at a meeting that is part of the tabulation procedure.
At that stage, a citizen will be counted as having voting and will not be able to cast a ballot at one-stop early voting sites or his or her Election Day polling place.
Another safeguard involves an administrative rule requiring county boards of election to keep a written log of anyone returning an absentee ballot in person.
Also, an absentee ballot may not be returned at an Election Day polling place.
Huff mentioned another step to ensure the integrity of voting via the absentee route.
“Each absentee voter has a unique identifier barcode for their return application, and the state system will not permit two ballots from the same person to be accepted or counted,” the elections official explained.
“Once one ballot is returned and accepted, the voter’s record reflects that he or she has already voted — therefore, if that voter returned another ballot, it would not count.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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