East Baton Rouge Parish Registrar of Voters Steve Raborn is announcing that his office will be mailing nearly 21,000 absentee by-mail ballots on Friday, October 2^nd to eligible voters who have requested them.

The Registrar of Voters office will continue to accept absentee ballot requests from eligible voters through October 30^th at 4:30 p.m., but voters should be aware of United States Postal Service recommendations to request ballots as early as possible, and at least 15 days prior to Election Day.

Due to the high number of new absentee voters this year, Raborn is advising them to carefully read and follow all instructions to ensure that their ballots are counted, and to be mindful of United States Postal Service recommendations to return their ballots at least 7 days before the return deadline of November 2, 2020.

Specifically, voters are cautioned to:

• Read all instructions before voting.
• If you have internet access, watch the Secretary of State’s YouTube video at https://youtu.be/JzD8oKQUHas. This video shows how to properly complete and return your ballot.
• East Baton Rouge ballots are printed on two sheets of paper, some printed on front and back.
• When marking your ballot, completely fill in the ovals next to your choice(s).
• Place all pages of the voted ballot in the ballot envelope and seal it, but do not remove the flap.
• Complete all information on the ballot envelope’s affidavit flap, including the date of election and mother’s maiden name.
• Sign and print your name on the ballot envelope in the presence of a witness. Anyone may serve as your witness.
• Your witness must sign and print their name on the ballot envelope.  
• Do not remove the flap from the ballot envelope.
• Place the sealed ballot envelope in the return envelope that is addressed to the Registrar of Voters.
• East Baton Rouge ballots require first class postage in the amount of 70 cents on the return envelope.
• If you prefer, you may hand-deliver your voted ballot to any location of the Registrar of Voters Office (or any early voting site during the early voting period). No person except an immediately family member of the voter may hand-deliver more than one marked ballot to the Registrar of Voters.
• Check that your ballot has been received by the Registrar of Voters using the Secretary of State’s voter portal at https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/

Raborn especially cautions that every ballot envelope requires a witness signature. Voters must sign their ballot envelope in the presence of a witness, and then have the witness also sign the ballot envelope.  Lack of a witness signature is the most common reason for absentee ballot rejection.