20A-3-302 - Absentee voting -- No polling place for remote districts.
20A-3-302. Absentee voting -- No polling place for remote districts.
(1) Whenever, on the 60th day before an election, there are 500 or fewer personsregistered to vote in a voting precinct, the county legislative body of the county in which thevoting precinct is located may elect to administer an election entirely by absentee ballot.
(2) If the county legislative body of the county in which the voting precinct is locateddecides to administer an election entirely by absentee ballot, the county clerk shall mail to eachregistered voter within that voting precinct:
(a) an absentee ballot;
(b) a statement that there will be no polling place for the election;
(c) instructions for returning the ballot that include an express notice about any relevantdeadlines that the voter must meet in order for his vote to be counted; and
(d) a warning, on a separate page of colored paper in bold face print, indicating that if thevoter fails to follow the instructions included with the absentee ballot, he will be unable to votein that election because there will be no polling place in the voting precinct on the day of theelection.
(3) Any voter who votes by absentee ballot under this subsection is not required to applyfor an absentee ballot as required by this part.
(4) (a) The county clerk of a county that administers an election entirely by absenteeballot shall:
(i) obtain, in person, the signatures of each voter within that voting precinct before theelection; and
(ii) maintain the signatures on file in the county clerk's office.
(b) (i) Upon receiving the returned absentee ballots, the county clerk shall compare thesignature on each absentee ballot with the voter's signature that is maintained on file and verifythat the signatures are the same.
(ii) If the county clerk questions the authenticity of the signature on the absentee ballot,the clerk shall immediately contact the voter to verify the signature.
(iii) If the voter does not confirm his signature on the absentee ballot, the county clerkshall:
(A) immediately send another absentee ballot and other voting materials as required bythis subsection to the voter; and
(B) disqualify the initial absentee ballot.
Amended by Chapter 71, 2005 General Session