1.    A covered voter may apply for a military-overseas ballot using either the absentee ballot application under this chapter or the federal postcard application, as prescribed under     the     Uniformed     and     Overseas     Citizens     Absentee     Voting     Act [42 U.S.C. § 1973ff (b) (2)] or the application’s electronic equivalent if approved under guidelines established by the secretary of state.

2.    The secretary of state shall ensure that the electronic transmission system described in section 16.1-07-20 is capable of accepting the submission of both a federal postcard application and any other approved electronic military-overseas ballot application sent to the appropriate election official. The voter may use the electronic transmission system or any other method approved under guidelines established by the secretary of state to apply for a military-overseas ballot.

3.    A covered voter may use the declaration accompanying the federal write-in absentee ballot, as prescribed under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act [42 U.S.C. §§ 1973ff-2] as an application for a military-overseas ballot simultaneously with the submission of the federal write-in absentee ballot, if the declaration is received by the appropriate election official by midnight on the day before the election.

     4.    To receive the benefits of sections 16.1-07-18 through 16.1-07-33, a covered voter must inform the appropriate election official that the voter is a covered voter. Methods of informing the appropriate election official that a voter is a covered voter include:

a.    The use of a federal postcard application or federal write-in absentee ballot; b.    The use of an overseas address on a ballot application; and

c.    The inclusion on a ballot application of other information sufficient to identify the voter as a covered voter.