State write-in vote-by-mail ballot.

(1) An overseas voter may request, not earlier than 180 days before a general election, a state write-in vote-by-mail ballot from the supervisor of elections in the county of registration. In order to receive a state write-in ballot, the voter shall state that due to military or other contingencies that preclude normal mail delivery, the voter cannot vote a vote-by-mail ballot during the normal vote-by-mail voting period. State write-in vote-by-mail ballots shall be made available to voters 90 to 180 days prior to a general election. The Department of State shall prescribe by rule the form of the state write-in vote-by-mail ballot.

(2) In completing the ballot, the overseas voter may designate his or her choice by writing in the name of the candidate or by writing in the name of a political party, in which case the ballot must be counted for the candidate of that political party, if there is such a party candidate on the ballot.

(3) Any abbreviation, misspelling, or other minor variation in the form of the name of a candidate or a political party must be disregarded in determining the validity of the ballot if there is a clear indication on the ballot that the voter has made a definite choice.

(4) The state write-in vote-by-mail ballot shall contain all offices, federal, state, and local, for which the voter would otherwise be entitled to vote.