Chapter 4.20
ABSENTEE VOTING

Sections:

4.20.010    Absentee/early voting—Eligible persons—Liberal construction.

4.20.020    Absentee voting—By mail.

4.20.031    Early voting.

4.20.050    Special needs voting.

4.20.010 Absentee/early voting—Eligible persons—Liberal construction.

A.    Any registered voter may vote an absentee or early ballot at any election for any reason, if provided by the clerk.

B.    The provisions of this chapter effectuating the constitutional guarantee to absentee voting shall be liberally construed. (Ord. 02-22 § 13, 2002; Ord. 01-16(SUB) § 6; prior code § 18.25.010)

4.20.020 Absentee voting—By mail.

A.    A voter may apply to the clerk for an absentee ballot to be mailed to the voter not earlier than the first of the year in which the election is to be held, nor less than seven calendar days before an election. A request may be made by facsimile.

B.    All applications for an absentee ballot by mail shall be in writing either on a form provided by the clerk’s office or in a letter containing the following information:

1.    The applicant’s place of residence;

2.    The address the applicant desires the absentee ballot to be mailed;

3.    The applicant’s signature; and

4.    A voter identifier such as voter number, a social security number, or date of birth.

C.    Once ballots are in the clerk’s possession and ready for distribution and upon timely receipt of an application for absentee ballot by mail, the clerk shall mail an official ballot and other absentee voting material to the applicant at the mailing address given on the application.

D.    A voter who applies for and receives an absentee ballot by mail may vote the ballot at any time on or before the day of the election. The voted ballot shall then be placed in a secrecy sleeve, which is then placed in a return envelope. The voter shall sign the certification on the return envelope and have it witnessed in the presence of an authorized official such as:

1.    A notary public; U.S. postmaster or authorized postal clerk; commissioned military officer; judge; justice; magistrate; clerk of the court; a duly appointed voter registrar, or election official as defined in WMC 4.04.010; or

2.    Two witnesses who are at least eighteen (18) years of age may witness the voter’s signature if an authorized official is not reasonably accessible.

E.    After the witnessing of the absentee voter’s signature, the voter shall mail or otherwise deliver the ballot to the clerk. The voted absentee ballot shall be received by mail as defined in Section 4.28.080(A) or returned to an election official no later than eight p.m. on election day. The precinct election official shall deliver the voted absentee ballots to the clerk. The clerk shall deliver the voted absentee ballots to the canvass board for canvassing.

F.    Prior to the election, the clerk shall give to the election board in each precinct a list of voters from the precinct who have been issued absentee ballots. If a voter who was issued an absentee ballot by mail returns to the voter’s precinct on election day, the voter may not vote a regular ballot at the polling place unless the voter first surrenders to the election board the absentee ballot issued to the voter. If the absentee voter does not have the absentee ballot to surrender, the absentee voter may vote a questioned ballot. Surrendered absentee ballots collected by the election board shall be returned to the clerk. (Ord. 04-24(SUB) § 6, 2004; Ord. 02-22 § 14, 2002; Ord. 01-16(SUB) § 7, 2001; prior code § 18.25.020)

4.20.031 Early voting.

A.    A qualified voter who meets the requirements set out in this section may vote early at the city clerk’s office or at another location designated by the clerk, on or after the fifteenth calendar day before a regular or special election and the eighth calendar day before a run-off election, and up to five p.m. on the day before the election.

B.    An election official shall issue a ballot to the voter under this section upon:

1.    The voter providing the voter’s name, residence address within the city and a voter identifier such as a voter number, social security number, or date of birth; and

2.    The voter’s signing the early voting register.

C.    If the qualification of the voter is subject to question, the voter shall vote a questioned ballot as provided in Section 4.24.070.

D.    If the voter is not required to vote a questioned ballot, the voter shall mark the ballot in private, place the ballot in a secrecy sleeve, and deposit the ballot in an envelope that bears the name of the voter in the presence of an election official. The early ballots shall remain in the election official’s custody and shall be delivered to the clerk.

E.    The clerk shall deliver the voted early ballots to the canvass board for canvassing. The tabulation of early ballots may not begin until the canvass board has identified and segregated ballots voted early by voters who also cast ballots in another manner in the election.

F.    Before the opening of the polls on election day, the clerk shall give to the election board at each polling place a list of the voters who have voted an early ballot. If a voter on the list attempts to vote on election day, the voter may not vote a regular ballot but may vote a questioned ballot. (Ord. 03-15 §§ 4, 5, 2003; Ord. 01-16(SUB) § 9, 2001)

4.20.050 Special needs voting.

A.    A voter with a disability who, because of that disability, is unable to go to a polling place to vote may vote a special needs ballot.

B.    The voter, through a representative, may request a special needs ballot from:

1.    The clerk on or after the fifteenth calendar day before a regular election or special election, or on or after the eighth calendar day before a run-off election, up to and including the day before the election; or

2.    An absentee voting official at an absentee voting station designated by the clerk at a time when the absentee voting station is in operation; or

3.    A member of the precinct election board on election day.

C.    A representative requesting a special needs ballot shall sign a register provided by an election official. The register must include the following information:

1.    The representative’s name; and

2.    The name of the voter on whose behalf the representative is requesting a ballot and voting materials.

D.    The representative shall deliver the special needs ballot and other voting materials to the voter as soon as practicable. The voter shall mark the ballot in secret, place the ballot in a secrecy sleeve, and place the secrecy sleeve in the envelope provided. The voter shall provide the information on the envelope and shall sign the voter’s certificate in the presence of the rep-

resentative. The representative shall witness the voter’s signature, and sign and date the representative’s oath as provided on the envelope.

E.    If a voter’s disability precludes the voter from performing any of the requirements of subsection D of this section, the representative may perform those requirements, except making the voting decision, on the voter’s behalf.

F.    The representative shall deliver the ballot envelope to a city election official at a city precinct not later than eight p.m. on election day. An election official shall deliver the voted special needs ballot to the clerk. The clerk shall deliver the voted special needs ballot to the canvass board for canvassing.

G.    No person who is a candidate for office at the election, an immediate family member of the candidate, the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an officer or agent of the voter’s union may act as a representative for a voter. (Ord. 06-21 § 2, 2006; Ord. 03-15 § 6, 2003)