Absentee Voting FAQ
What’s the Difference Between Absentee Voting and Vote by Mail?
Short answer is, not much. Both are ways for a voter to receive a ballot in the mail or pick it up and take it home.
Some states mail ballots to every registered voter for each election. Some states require voters to apply for a ballot and have an excuse to vote absentee. Some states have “no-excuse absentee voting” and any eligible voter may request a ballot by mail. Some states pay the return postage for mailed ballots and have secure drop off locations for returning voted ballots.
Arkansas requires the voter to provide an excuse to vote absentee, and currently Arkansas does not pay for return postage.
Absentee voting is not new.
It’s been used for decades by the US armed services, college students, overseas citizens, and others unable to get to a voting location.
I Requested My Absentee Ballot — What Happens Next?
The county clerk will verify from your absentee ballot application that you are a registered voter, and all information on your application is accurate and matches your registration. When absentee ballots are ready to be sent out for the requested election, the ballot will be mailed to you.
What’s a designated bearer?
➤ It’s someone you choose to pick up or return your absentee ballot in person for you. You designate them to be the person to bear your ballot to/from the county clerk.
This is helpful if you don’t want to wait for mail delivery and you:
Have a physical condition or illness that would make traveling to the county clerk’s office difficult
Live out of state, but still vote in Arkansas
Will be traveling or working out of town approaching the absentee ballot request deadline
Are currently checked into an in-patient facility
You can still have someone you trust hand deliver your ballot.
➤ Write “Authorized Agent” for a lawyer or an estate executor.
➤ Write “Administrator” if the admin at your nursing home is picking up your ballot for you, or anything similar.
Designated bearer areas on the absentee ballot request form are marked yellow on this sample.
Click to the picture view full size.
How do I designate a bearer, agent, or administrator?
Your absentee ballot application asks how you want to receive your ballot.
Mark the last box as indicated.
Print the person’s name on the blank lines above the box.
Write whether they are a designated bearer, an administrator, or an authorized agent.
Once you’ve signed and dated the application, they will sign under that on the last blank of the application.
The county clerk will release your prepared absentee ballot packet to this person. It will not be mailed to you when you choose this option.
How Is My Absentee Ballot Counted?
When the county clerk receives the packets containing absentee ballot materials, the voter’s record is updated to show that they voted.
The unopened “Ballot Only” envelopes are deposited into a sealed ballot box.
The box (or boxes) remains secure and under seal until delivered to the county board of election commissioners to begin the vote-counting process.
An absentee ballot contains no information that identifies the voter – so, when your vote is counted on Election Day, it is anonymous.
Here is a link to the step-by-step procedure provided by the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners.
To understand what they look for click to view a training exercise on processing absentee ballots.
How Can I Know for Sure My Absentee Ballot Was Received and Counted?
Ballots in Arkansas are not counted until the polls close on election day.
Since ballots are counted after the polls close, their status will be updated on Voterview.org.