", State law further says, "If a person is an authorized messenger for more than one voter, he must notify the person in charge of the election of all voters for whom he is a messenger. The application shall be on a form prescribed by the State Board and shall require the applicant (i) to state the cause of his incapacity, (ii) to state that he is unable to be present at the polls on election day, and that he was either incapacitated on or after the seventh day preceding the election or hospitalized on or after the fourteenth day preceding the election and unable to request the application earlier than the seventh day preceding the election, (iii) to designate a representative to receive, deliver and return the ballot, and (iv) to provide other information required by law for an absentee ballot application. Illinois law allows vote-by-mail ballots to be delivered in person by any person the voter authorizes or by a company licensed as a motor carrier of property by the state. [3], Washington law does not specify whether someone may return mail ballots on behalf of voters.[1]. Surveys after the 2020 election found that voters who cast ballots for President Joe Biden were far more likely to report voting by mail than voters for Trump. More than half of states have laws that explicitly allow a third party to return a voted ballot. Eleven states specify who may return ballots on behalf of voters. The 4-3 decision from the state's high court determined unsupervised drop boxes are illegal. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; Communications: Alison Graves Carley Allensworth Abigail Campbell Sarah Groat Caitlin Vanden Boom See our page, Arguments for and against restricting who may return mail ballots, for detailed support and opposition arguments from a variety of sources. For example, some states only allow caregivers, family members or household members to. For example, some states only allow caregivers, family members or household members to. Go to your clerk's office to drop off your ballot or vote in-person absentee. Voting sings are shown at a polling place in Charlotte, N.C., April 24, 2019. The incapacitated voter shall vote the absentee ballot as provided by law and mark it in the presence of the designated representative. county clerk, at the designated place of deposit or I UNDERSTAND THAT IF I PROVIDE FALSE INFORMATION ON THIS FORM, I MAY BE GUILTY OF PERJURY AND SUBJECT TO A FINE OF UP TO TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($10,000) OR IMPRISONMENT FOR UP TO TEN (10) YEARS, OR BOTH, UNDER FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS.". It states that "the voter shall seal his or her ballot in the plain envelope, place that plain envelope inside the affidavit envelope, complete the affidavit, have a notary public (or other officer authorized to acknowledge oaths) or two witnesses witness his or her signature to the affidavit, and forward it by United States mail to the absentee election manager or hand it to him or her in person.". Giving third parties who have a stake in the outcome of an election access to voters and their absentee ballots in an unsupervised setting is not wise, and is a proven threat to the integrity of the election process. The clerk shall inform the 3rd person of the deadline for the return of the ballot.[3]. Justice Samuel Alito delivered the majority opinion of the court. (6) When the ballots are returned by the administrator in person or by mail, the county clerk shall write or stamp the word "ADMINISTRATOR" and write the administrator's name on the voter's absentee ballot return envelope. Voters confined to a hospital can vote an absentee ballot immediately upon delivery by a registrar or absentee ballot clerk and return it to the official. Here's why. (7) The county clerk shall write or stamp the words "AUTHORIZED AGENT" and the agent's name and address on the voter's absentee ballot return envelope. 722.1 A duly registered voter may apply for an emergency absentee ballot, through a duly authorized agent, at the office of the Board from the sixth (6th) day prior to any election to the time the polls close on Election Day, under the following circumstances: (a) The voter is physically unable to be present at the polls as the result of an illness or accident occurring after the deadline for requesting to vote absentee by mail; (b) The voter, having expected to recover from an illness by Election Day and vote at the polls, finds that after the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot by mail has passed, he or she is physically unable to vote at the poll on Election Day; or. If the clerk of the county commission of any county, or any member of the board of ballot commissioners, or any member of the board of canvassers refuses or neglects to perform any of the duties required of him or her by any of the provisions of articles three, five and six of this chapter relating to voting by absentees or discloses to any other person or persons how any absent voter voted, he or she shall, in each instance, be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $500, or confined in jail for not more than six months. a. Depositing it in a United States postal mailbox, thereby mailing it to the Department; or In most states, the answer is yes but there might be restrictions. The below map features the location of all drop boxes (board of elections offices) around Ohio: Athens County: 15 S. Court St., Athens (drop boxes located at front and back entrances) Cuyahoga County: 2925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 2nd ballot drop-off site located nearby at 3100 Chester Ave., Cleveland. (a) Any person who, with the intent to commit fraud, obtains, removes, or disseminates an absent voters ballot, intimidates an absent voter, or completes or alters an absent voters ballot, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $10,000 nor more than $20,000, imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than five years, or both fined and imprisoned. For more information, click here. In a 6-3 ruling, the court held that the law did not violate the Voting Rights Act and was not enacted with a racially discriminatory purpose. For example, some states, like Arizona, only allow caregivers, family members or household members to drop off a ballot for someone else. "Massive . Laws allowing ballot collection make voting more convenient, but they have been criticized by some who say they increase risk of voter fraud. (c) If the voter is a resident of a residential care facility licensed pursuant to RSA 151:2, I(e) and described in RSA 151:9, VII(a)(1) and (2), the residential care facility administrator, or a residential care facility staff member designated in writing by the administrator to deliver ballots; or There have been a number of states that have limited the use of ballot drop boxes since the 2020 election. The answer is yes. After the 2020 election, a discredited film claimed without evidence that a multistate network of Democrat-aligned ballot mules were paid to illegally collect and drop off ballots in five states. The agent must be at least 18 years old and may not be a candidate. [3], Utah law does not specify whether someone may return mail ballots on behalf of voters. (1) The county clerk shall keep a register of designated bearers and authorized agents. (b) "Collects" means to gain possession or control of an early ballot. Can I drop off someone else's ballot in a ballot drop box (such as my spouse or friend's ballot)? (5) For a person other than the absent voter; a person listed in these instructions; or a person whose job it is to handle mail before, during, or after being transported by a public postal service, express mail service, parcel post service, or common carrier, but only during the normal course of his or her employment to be in possession of a voted or unvoted absent voter ballot. A person in a healthcare facility may return it to the election official who delivered the ballot or, at the clerk's discretion, to an individual designated in writing who is not a candidate. To learn which states fall into each category, see the map below. In most states, the answer is yes but there might be restrictions. II. It says that a person who is not an election official cannot collect ballots within a certain distance of an election office and must display a sign at such collection site noting that it is not an official dropoff site. In Minnesota, a designated agent can return absentee ballots on behalf of not more than three voters. It does specify that a notary public may not do so. (c) The voter is serving on a sequestered jury on Election Day. The clerk may not issue an absentee ballot: (ii)by United States mail; or B. For example, some states, like Arizona, only allow caregivers, family members or household members to drop off a ballot for someone else. To protect against voter fraud, Georgia law only allows close relatives and caregivers to request and return absentee ballots for another person. (d) Application or written request received. [1], Vermont law does not specify whether someone may return mail ballots on behalf of voters.[1]. Ballot harvesting (ballot collection) laws by state, Someone chosen by voter may return ballot, Supreme Court of the United States upholds Arizona ballot collection law (July 2021), Group asks Wisconsin Elections Commission for absentee ballot rule (June 2020), Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker. A candidate for office at an election may not act as a representative for a voter in the election.". Michigan law permits a household member or a family member (defined by law), or an election official if those options are not available, to return a voter's absentee ballot. 722.3 Executive Director or his or her designee shall advise all agents, in writing, that pursuant to D.C. Official Code 1-1001.12 and 1-1001.14 (2016 Repl. Delaware law does not specify whether someone can return an absentee ballot on a voter's behalf. An Associated Press survey in May 2022 found that among states that used drop boxes in the 2020 presidential election, none reported instances of drop boxes being involved in fraud that could have affected the results. External Relations: Moira Delaney Hannah Nelson Caroline Presnell (d) If assistance is provided by a person of the voter's choice, an election officer shall enter the person's name and address on the poll list beside the voter's name. There will also be in-person polling sites that open Sept. 4, plus drop-off boxes, with the exact number depending where you live. Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. State laws vary not only by who may return mail ballots but by the conditions they do or do not set around the practice and whether they specify who may not return another's ballot. Your absent voter ballot will then be picked up by the clerk or an election assistant sent by the clerk. Defiance County: 1300 E. Second St., Defiance. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Biden has threatened to veto the bill, which would repeal an investment policy that took effect earlier this year that Republicans call woke capitalism., FILE - A county worker collects a mail-in ballots in a drive-thru mail-in ballot drop off area at the Clark County Election Department in Las Vegas, Nov. 2, 2020. The law also specifies that an individual assisting a voter who is blind or has a disability may return an absentee ballot upon signing a statement on the affidavit envelope and that such individual may not return more than four ballots unless they are a family member, nursing home administrator/staff, or residential care facility administrator/staff. (2) The designated bearer and authorized agent register shall contain the following oath on each page: "I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ARKANSAS LAW PROHIBITS DESIGNATED BEARERS AND AUTHORIZED AGENTS FROM RECEIVING OR RETURNING MORE THAN TWO (2) ABSENTEE BALLOTS PER ELECTION. (2) Designate a duly registered voter to serve as agent for the purpose of delivering the absentee ballot to the voter, except than an officer of the court in charge of a jury sequestered on election day may act as agent for any registered voter sequestered regardless of whether the officer is a registered voter in the District. The following map provides a summary of who was permitted to collect and return mail ballots by state as of August 2020. Other states allow you to give your ballot to anyone you choose. But that's just the beginning of what it can do: The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The best way to do that is through the campaign's legal challenge. 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