A.
Any qualified voter who may be absent for any reason from the Town
of Indian Head on election day may vote.
B.
Any qualified voter who, as a condition of employment, may be required
to be absent a distance of greater than 35 miles from his place of
residence on election day may vote.
C.
Any qualified voter whose physical disability confines him and prevents
or will prevent him from being present and personally voting at the
polls on any election day shall also be entitled to vote as an absentee
voter under this article.
A.
Any qualified voter falling into the above categories may apply for
an absentee ballot under this article by making a written request
to the Board of Supervisors of Elections, Town of Indian Head, Maryland,
stating that the voter will be prevented from voting personally in
the election. The written request must be received and filed in the
office of the Supervisors of Elections at least seven days prior to
the election.
B.
The application shall contain the voter's name and residence address,
including the street number. It must certify that the person is a
qualified voter at the residence given. It must certify that the voter
expects, in good faith, to be unable to vote in person for one of
the reasons set forth above.
C.
If the applicant is a qualified voter, as stated in his letter, the
Board of Supervisors of Elections shall, as soon as practicable thereafter,
deliver to him at the office of the Board or mail to him at an address
designated by him an absentee voter's ballot and an envelope therefor.
Postage for transmitting ballot material to the voter shall be paid
by the Board of Supervisors of Elections. Postage for return of the
ballot shall be paid by the voter.
D.
The Board of Supervisors of Elections shall keep a record of applications
for absentee voters' ballots, including the date the absentee ballot
was mailed or delivered to the absentee voter, the date and time it
was returned to the Board and the name and residence of the applicant.
This record shall be available for examination by any resident of
the Town.
E.
Not more than one absentee ballot shall be mailed to any applicant,
unless the Board has reasonable grounds to believe that the absentee
ballot previously mailed has been lost, destroyed or spoiled.
F.
After approval of an application for an absentee ballot and the mailing
to the applicant of an absentee ballot, then, unless an electronically
reproduced register is used, the voter's record card in the binder
shall be removed and placed in a separate binder marked "Registered
Absentee Voters" and retained in the office of the Board. A marker
shall be placed in the regular binder with the voter's name and recording
the fact that an absentee ballot has been mailed, which shall show
the date on which the ballot was sent. If an electronically reproduced
register is used, a distinctive line shall be drawn through the voter's
name on the list and marked "Absentee Voter." No such voter shall
vote or be allowed to vote in person at any polling place.
A.
During the six days preceding an election and on the day of the election
prior to the time the polls close, any person registered and otherwise
qualified to vote may apply at the Town Hall for an emergency absentee
ballot if the person:
(2)
Is unable to be present at the polls as a result of illness or accident
occurring after the time for making application for an absentee ballot;
(3)
Is unable to be present at the polls because of a death or serious
illness in the person's immediate family, about which the person becomes
aware after the time for making application for an absentee ballot;
or
(4)
Is required to be absent on the day of an election from the Town
for any reason of which the person becomes aware after the time for
making application for an absentee ballot.
B.
The application shall be made under penalty of perjury but without
formal oath, setting forth the reason why the voter is unable to be
present at the polls on the day of the election.
C.
Upon receipt of the application, the Board, if satisfied that the
person cannot, in fact, be present at the polling place on the day
of the election, shall issue to the applicant, or his duly authorized
agent, an absentee ballot, which shall be marked by the voter, placed
in a sealed envelope and returned to the Board.
D.
If the applicant does not apply in person, the applicant shall designate
a registered voter as agent for the purpose of delivering the absentee
ballot to the voter, and the agent shall execute an affidavit under
penalty of perjury that the ballot was delivered to the voter who
submitted the application, was marked by the voter in the agent's
presence, was placed in a sealed envelope in the agent's presence
and returned, under seal, to the Board by the agent.
A.
In sufficient time prior to any election, the Board shall have printed
an adequate number of absentee ballots and the three kinds of envelopes
described in this section. The ballots shall contain the words "Absentee
Ballot" printed in large letters in a clear space at the top of each
ballot. Underneath these words shall be printed the following warning:
"Mark ballot by placing (X) in the proper blank after the candidate's
name. Do not erase or make identifying mark."
B.
Envelopes.
(1)
Envelope No. 1. One envelope shall be known as the "return envelope"
and shall be sufficiently larger than any of the other hereinafter
described envelopes so that it will enclose and contain the other
envelopes. Across the left-hand face of the return envelope shall
be printed or written these words "Return Envelope for the Election
of (date)." The blank space in these words shall be filled in with
the date of election, following which shall be added the words "Supervisors
of Elections of the Town of Indian Head, Maryland."
(2)
Envelope No. 2. The ballot envelope shall be of sufficient size to
contain the Town absentee ballot. The following oath shall be printed
on the face of the envelope: "I, ____________________, do hereby affirm
that I am a voter legally qualified to vote in the ____________________
election to be held on _______________, that I am legally registered
in Indian Head, as stated in my application for said ballot, that
I will be unable to vote in person on the day of such election because
____________________________, that the within ballot was by me marked
secretly, folded and enclosed and sealed in this ballot envelope,
that I am not now disqualified from voting under the laws of the Town
Charter of Indian Head."
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Absentee voter must sign this oath.
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(3)
Envelope No. 3. The third envelope shall be a covering envelope in
which all balloting material shall be sent to the absentee voter.
On this envelope shall be written or printed the return address of
the Board of Supervisors of Elections and, in boldface type, the words
"OFFICIAL BALLOT, Town of Indian Head, Maryland."
A ballot shall be considered as received timely if it has been
received by the Board prior to the closing of the polls on election
day.
The printed instructions to the absentee voter shall be available
in the Town Hall. They shall be furnished upon request.
