| | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | | Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §751, as amended by PL 1997, c. 436, §105, is | | repealed and the following enacted in its place: |
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| | | §751.__Proper at any election |
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| | | Absentee ballots may be cast at any election by any voter who | | requests an absentee ballot as provided under this subchapter.__ | | The voter need not specify a reason to receive an absentee | | ballot. |
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| | | Sec. 2. 21-A MRSA §753, as amended by PL 1997, c. 436, §§107 to | | 111, is repealed. |
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| | | Sec. 3. 21-A MRSA §§753-A and 753-B are enacted to read: |
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| | | §753-A.__Procedure for requesting an absentee ballot |
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| | | 1.__Applications available.__On request, the clerk shall | | furnish a reasonable number of absentee ballot applications to | | any person, except that an application may not be furnished more | | than 3 months before the election for which the application will | | be used. |
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| | | 2.__Application for state and municipal ballots at same time.__ | | If a municipal election is to be held on the same date as a | | statewide election, absentee ballots for the municipal and | | statewide election may be issued in response to the same | | application, unless the municipal ballots are not ready to be | | issued at the time the statewide ballot is available.__The clerk | | may not delay the issuance of a statewide absentee ballot in | | order to include a municipal ballot pursuant to this subsection. |
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| | | 3.__Request in writing.__A voter may complete an application | | or make a written request for the voter's own ballot, either by | | mail, in person or by facsimile.__The voter may designate an | | immediate family member or another 3rd person to deliver the | | ballot on the voter's behalf.__An immediate family member of a | | voter may also make an application or written request for an | | absentee ballot for the voter. |
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| | | 4.__Request by telephone.__A voter may make a telephone | | request for the voter's own ballot.__In this case, the voter may | | not designate an immediate family member or another 3rd person to | | deliver the ballot on the voter's behalf.__The clerk shall ask | | the voter for the information required on the application and | | complete the application, with the exception of the voter's | | signature, and shall write "telephone request" on the | | application.__The clerk shall verify that it is the voter who is |
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