Absentee voting—Requirements for ballot to be counted—Statement of qualifications—Form of ballot.
(1) To be counted in a given election, an absentee ballot must conform to these requirements:
(a) It must be sealed in an unmarked envelope and delivered to the district's principal office prior to the close of the polls on the day of that election; or be sealed in an unmarked envelope and mailed to the district's secretary, postmarked not later than midnight of that election day and received by the secretary within five days of that date.
(b) The sealed envelope containing the ballot shall be accompanied by a certificate of qualifications stating, with respect to the voter, his or her name, age, citizenship, residence, that he or she holds title or evidence of title to lands within the district which, under RCW 87.03.045 entitles him or her to vote in the election, and that he or she cannot conveniently be present to cast his or her ballot at his or her proper election precinct on election day.
(c) The statements in the certificate of qualifications shall be certified as correct by the voter by the affixing of his or her signature thereto in the presence of a witness who is acquainted with the voter, and the voter shall enclose and seal his or her ballot in the unmarked envelope in the presence of this witness but without disclosing his or her vote. The witness, by affixing his or her signature to the certificate of qualifications, shall certify that he or she is acquainted with the voter, that in his or her presence the voter's signature was affixed and the ballot enclosed as required in this paragraph.
(2) The form of statement of qualifications and its certification shall be substantially as prescribed by the district's board of directors. This form may also provide that the voter shall describe all or some part of his or her lands within the district which, under RCW 87.03.045 entitles him or her to vote in the election, but a voter otherwise qualified shall not be disqualified because of the absence or inaccuracy of the description so given. The regular form of irrigation district ballot shall be used by absentee voters.