Absentee Voting
Absentee voting at the Town Office – A voter may cast his/her ballot at the Town Office during normal working hours (Monday – Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). Until 3 days prior to Election.
No application is needed if you vote at that time. The ballot is witnessed by the clerk, deputy or assistant.
Note: If the voter requests to take the absentee ballot out of the office to vote, the voter may do so after completing an application. The voter returns the ballot by mail or in person to the clerk.
Telephone Request
A voter may request a ballot by telephone. The clerk completes an application. The clerk verifies the voter’s identity by confirming the voter’s residence and date of birth.
The clerk mails the ballot to the voter at the address listed on the request.
No witnesses are needed, unless the voter is assisted. If assisted, the aide and 1 other person signs as witness.
The voter returns the ballot by mail or in person to the clerk.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot, including a ballot voted in the presence of the clerk, is three business days prior to the election (in the Town of Oxford, this is usually close of business on the Thursday preceding the election) unless the voter completes a special circumstances application, stating one of four allowable reasons for requesting an absentee ballot after this deadline. The four reasons are:
- An unexpected absence from the municipality during the entire time the polls are open on election day;
- A physical disability,
- An inability to travel to the polls because the voter is a resident of a coastal island ward or precinct; or
- An incapacity or illness that has resulted in the voter being unable to leave home or a treatment facility.
Electronic Absentee Ballot Request
Please NOTE: This is available for State Elections only.
Written Request by the Voter
(Received by Mail, by Fax or In Person)
A voter may request a ballot by completing an application. The clerk mails the ballot to the voter at the address listed on the application, or gives the ballot to the voter, to take with the voter. No witnesses are needed unless the voter is assisted. If assisted, the aide and 1 other person signs as witness.
The voter returns the ballot by mail or in person to the clerk. Written Request by the Voter’s Immediate Family Member (Received by Mail, by Fax or In Person)
An immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, sister, brother, stepparent, stepchild, stepsister, stepbrother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, guardian, former guardian or domestic partner) of the voter may request a ballot on behalf of the voter. An application or written request must be completed by the immediate family member, with the relationship indicated on the application.
The clerk mails the ballot to the voter at the address listed on the application, or releases the ballot to the immediate family member.
The voter or immediate family member returns the ballot by mail or in person to the clerk. Immediate family member request is not considered a 3rd person ballot.
If the ballot is returned by another immediate family member, the other immediate family member must also sign the application indicating they returned the ballot. The family member must state his/her relationship to the voter.
Written Request by the Voter
(Received by Mail, by Fax, or In Person)-3rd Person Designated
A voter only may request a ballot to be delivered by a 3rd person. The voter must request a 3rd person ballot, by completing an application or written request.
A 3rd person can not be a candidate or a member of a candidate’s immediate family.
The clerk releases the ballot to the 3rd person only named in the request.
Ballot must be witnessed by a notary public, a municipal clerk, a clerk of courts, or 2 other individuals. If assisted, the aide and 1 other person signs as witness.
The 3rd person returns the ballot in person to the clerk. The voter may return the ballot in person; however witnesses are still required if a 3rd person handles the ballot going out or coming back.
A 3rd person may have up to 5 absentee ballots for a municipality at one time.
For information on voter registration and absentee ballots for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens, please see the Secretary of State Bureau of Elections.