Ga. absentee ballots late.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. _ State election officials, who already have missed the deadline for making absentee ballots available, are "exploring every legal option" to prevent Georgians stationed overseas from being unable to vote in the Nov. 5 general election.

The state is required by federal law to have absentee ballots available 45 days before the election, which this year would have been Sept. 20. But officials missed that date _ and still haven't produced ballots _ primarily because the election schedule was pushed back due to redistricting. Now there are only 35 days remaining before the election.

Officials have said it was not possible to get the ballots printed and sent to counties by the September deadline because runoffs elections weren't held until Sept. 10.

All counties should have received by last week proofs of the ballots to check for errors, said Kara Sinkule, spokesperson for the Secretary of State's office. But counties won't receive their printed ballots until later this week or next week.

That means local officials would have about 30 days, or less, to get ballots delivered and returned to overseas destinations by regular postal delivery. Arranging alternative delivery methods is one of the options being discussed.

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