The county auditor, or any other officer required by law to prepare any general, special, or primary state election ballots or any county election ballots, shall prepare, have printed, and deliver to the county auditor at least forty days before the holding of any general, special, or primary state election a sufficient number of absent voter ballots for the use of all voters likely to require such ballots for that election. In city or school elections, the auditor or clerk of the city, the business manager of the school district, or any other officer required by law to prepare city or school election ballots shall prepare and have printed and available for distribution to the public at least forty days before the holding of any city or school election a sufficient number of absent voter’s ballots for the use of all voters likely to require such ballots for that election. Officers authorized to distribute absent voter’s ballots under this chapter shall ensure all ballots used as absent voter’s ballots are secure at all times and accessible only to those persons under the officer’s supervision for distribution. If an election official personally distributes and collects an absent voter’s ballot outside the election official’s office, appointed election judges from an election board shall accompany the election official along with the ballot to and from the voter’s location and be present while the voter is marking the ballot.