BAY MINETTE, Alabama — A trickle of absentee ballot application requests is expected to become an open faucet in the next two weeks for voters casting ballots in the March 13 primary and presidential elections, according to voting officials.

Baldwin County Circuit Clerk Jody Campbell, who also serves as the county absentee election manager, said Wednesday she has received applications from 93 military personnel and 134 residents.

“Next week it will pick up,” Campbell said. “I expect a crunch of applications within two weeks, then a steady flow until the election.”

Recent federal election guidelines allow military personnel stationed worldwide to receive federal and state ballots electronically to save time, but documents still have to be printed out and mailed, Campbell said.

She also said poll workers and her election staff have been instructed to remind voters to turn the Republican ballot over to see candidates for local offices.

“The Republican ballot has two pages due to a long list of delegates,” she said. “The presidential candidates and delegates take up the whole front page and part of the second page. We don’t want voters to overlook local elections.”

Campbell also is encouraging absentee voters to come to her Bay Minette Office at the Baldwin County Courthouse, 312 Courthouse Square to vote as a walk-in.

“The election ads say absentee voting is simple, but it takes several steps, including a copy of a driver’s license and notarized or witnessed signatures.

“Voters may not want to drive to Bay Minette, but we will help them fill out the paperwork, copy their driver’s license at no cost and provide free notary services.”

Here is a timetable of absentee voting for the March 13 election:

1 March 8: Last day voters may apply for a regular absentee ballot.

1 March 12: Last business day before the election and last day a voter or their designee can return a ballot in person. It also is the last day to vote a business emergency ballot. Mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than March 12.

1 March 13: Mailed ballots must be received no later than noon. Voted emergency medical ballots delivered by a voter designee must be received by noon.

Applications are available at the Baldwin County Board of Registrars, all county courthouses and online for downloading at alabamavotes.gov.

Applications and sample ballots also are available upon request at 28jc.alacourt.gov/clerk.htm.

Election information is available online at baldwincountyal.gov. Click Probate, then elections.

To contact Campbell, call 251-937-0261.

Examples of the 2012 sample ballots are also filed online with this story at www.GulfCoastNewsToday.com.