Precinct Committeemen
 Floyd County Republican Party

ABSENTEE & CONFINED VOTER BALLOT APPLICATION



Absentee and confined voter ballots (those voted by the traveling board) help you win the battle before Election Day.

“A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”

In order to receive an absentee or confined ballot, the voter must complete a short application. (ABS-1 (Form 42106) (R14-9-05) Give an absentee ballot application to as many Republicans as possible. Have them complete and return this form to the County Clerk’s office in order to have an absentee ballot mailed to them.

Identify people who travel or are temporarily living outside the county such as college students, military personnel, business- men and women who travel in the course of their employment.

Identify voters who are confined because of illness or disability or a voter who is a caretaker for a confined person. These people are entitled to have a ballot brought to their place of confinement by a two member team consisting of one (1) Democrat and one (1) Republican.

Identify people who will be working the polls outside their precinct and have them vote by absentee ballot.

Identify those people who may have transportation problems or may be caring for elderly parents or small children. Sometimes problems arise on Election Day and they may not be able to get to the polls even though their intentions were to vote on Election Day. An absentee ballot that is cast early will assure you of their vote.

Many races have been won or lost by 1 or 2 percent. Surveys show that an aggressive absentee ballot program may increase your vote total by as much as 4 percent.

As precinct committeeman, you can go to the Clerk’s office and request records with the names of those who have requested an absentee ballot. If those people are “R’s”, you may mail them a candidate packet and encourage them to vote for all Republican candidates. Be careful and do not be involved in electioneering someone when they are completing an absentee ballot. (Indiana Code 3-11-10-2 and Indiana Code 3-14-3-16)

A person may vote before the election board in the Clerk’s office from 29 days prior to the election up until noon the day before the election. Photo ID's are required for this type of voting as well.

On the two (2) Saturdays preceding the election, voters may vote absentee in the Clerk’s office. Hours will vary county by county. Check with your Clerk for the hours in your local county. (Usually the hours the Clerk’s office is open depends on the population of the county).

You should vote absentee if you are going to work the polls other than in your own precinct. Any qualified registered voter may vote in the Clerk's office. When voting by mail, check the box that indicates your valid reason for voting absentee.



NEW MILITARY/OVERSEAS PROCEDURES


This procedure allows absentee uniformed services voters and overseas voters to receive and return absentee ballots by fax.

An absentee uniformed services voter is either: 1) a member of the Indiana National Guard deployed or on assignment outside Indiana; 2) a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard (or other uniformed service), absent from the member’s residence due to active duty; 3) a member of the Merchant Marine, absent from the member’s residence; 4) the husband, wife, or dependent of one of the individuals listed above.

An overseas voter is either: 1) a military voter (as described above) who is absent from the United States on active duty or service on Election Day; or 2) an individual not in the military but nonetheless living outside of the United States, but still qualified to vote at the place in Indiana where the individual last resided.

STEPS:
1. The voter must obtain the new Absentee Ballot Application for Absent Uniformed Services Voter or Overseas Voter to vote by FAX …Form (ABS-12). This new form is available on the Indiana Election Division’s website. This may also be provided by faxing it to the voter.

2. The voter completes and returns the completed ABS-12 to the Clerk’s office. Remember, absentee ballot applications may be sent and received by fax.

3. Determine if the voter is eligible. Be sure to record the fax number and other contact information recorded about absentee ballot applications.

4. If eligible, fax the appropriate ballot and a blank Cover Sheet and Affidavit for Absent Uniformed Service and Overseas Voter (Form ABS-9) to the voter at the fax number provided. If you use a punch card voting method in your county, you will have to prepare a paper ballot for voters who vote by fax.

5. The absentee voter then votes the ballot and fills out the ABS-9 and faxes the ABS-9 and completed ballot back to the Clerk’s office. Note that the absentee voter signs a separate statement on the ABS-9 waiving the voter’s right to a secret ballot.

6. The Clerk or the Clerk’s designee receives the ABS-9 and absentee ballot by fax and this person shall: a) Note the receipt of the absentee ballot in the records of the circuit clerk as other absentee ballots received by the circuit clerk). b) Fold each ballot received from the voter separately so as to conceal the marking. c) Enclose each ballot in the Absentee Ballot Envelope for Uniformed Service and Overseas Voter’s Absentee Ballot (ABS-10); d) Securely seal the envelope. e) Mark on the ABS-10 envelope: “Absentee Ballot Received by Fax”; and f) Securely attach to the envelope the faxed affidavit received with the voter’s absentee ballots along with the absentee ballot application of the voter.

7. The absentee ballot is then processed as other absentee ballots are processed in your county.

8. The clerk or clerk’s designee sends confirmation to the absentee voter voting by fax indicating that the Clerk’s office received the voters ABS-9 and absentee ballot. This confirmation must be sent by the next business day following receipt of the absentee ballot. The simplest way to provide this notice is to fax a short note that: ________ County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office received your faxed absentee ballot with Absentee Ballot Application for Absent Uniformed Services Voter or Overseas Voter to Vote by FAX (ABS-9) on the__________day of _________ 2003.



LATE REGISTRATION AND IN-PERSON VOTING IN THE CLERK’S OFFICE



This new procedure allows absent uniformed services voters (or their spouse and dependants) who move to Indiana after voter registration closes and after the preparation of the poll list to register to vote and vote absentee in the Clerk’s office.
More detail regarding the qualifications applicable to this type of voter is contained in the Affidavit for Late Voter Registration by Absent Uniformed Services Voter (ABS-13).

STEPS:

1. A voter who meets the qualifications must fill out three (3) documents and vote under this new procedure: a) Affidavit for Late Voter Registration by Absent Uniformed Services Voter (ABS-13; b) a regular voter registration application (VRG-7). If the county has a separate board of registration, the Clerk shall promptly deliver the registration application to the board of registration. To request an absentee ballot application, form ABS-1 is used.

2. The voter may then vote in the election but only by absentee ballot in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. The voter may vote absentee in the Clerk’s office until noon on Election Day.

3. Once the voter is finished voting, the voter places the ballot into an Absentee Ballot Envelope for Uniformed Service and Overseas Voter’s Absentee Ballot (ABS-10) and seals the envelope.

4. The Clerk then fills out and signs the Uniformed Services Voter Registration Certificate (ABS-11) indicating that the voter has voted under this procedure.

5. The Clerk attaches the voter’s absentee ballot application (ABS-1), Affidavit for Late Voter Registration by Absent Uniformed Services Voter (ABS-13), and Uniformed Services Voter Registration Certificate (ABS-11, to the Absentee Ballot Envelope for Uniformed Service and Overseas Voter’s Absentee Ballot (ABS-10).

6. In a non-central count county, the absentee ballot is delivered to the appropriate polling place for processing. The inspector is to process the absentee ballot like any other absentee ballot except for one thing: the inspector is required to detach the ABS-11 from the absentee ballot and attach it to the back of the poll book. The poll clerks are then to sign the ABS-11 to indicate that the inspector did so. There are signature lines for the poll clerk at the bottom of the ABS-11.

7. In a central count county, the ABS-11 must remain detached from the absentee ballot and sent by courier to the polling place in the same manner as the certified lists of absentee voters are sent to polling places. The inspector then attaches the ABS-11 to the poll book and the poll clerks are then required to sign the ABS-11 to indicate that the inspector did so.



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Floyd County Republican Party - Floyd County, Indiana 2008
This website paid for and authorized by the Floyd County Republican Central Committee
Dave Matthews, Chairman
 

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