As used in this article:

(1) "Members of the Armed Forces of the United States" means members of the United States Army, the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Air Force, the United States Coast Guard, or any of their respective components.

(2) "Members of the Merchant Marine of the United States" means all officers and men engaged in maritime service on board ships.

(3) "Students" means all persons residing outside of the counties of their respective residences, enrolled in an institution of learning.

(4) "Physically disabled person" means a person who, because of injury or illness, cannot be present in person at his voting place on election day.

(5) "Registration form" means Standard Form 76, or a subsequent form replacing it, authorized by the federal government or the state form described in § 7-15-120.

(6) "Persons in employment" means those persons who by virtue of their employment obligations are unable to vote in person.

(7) "Authorized representative" means a registered elector who, with the voter’s permission, acts on behalf of a voter unable to go to the polls because of illness or disability resulting in his confinement in a hospital, sanatorium, nursing home, or place of residence, or a voter unable because of a physical handicap to go to his polling place or because of a handicap is unable to vote at his polling place due to existing architectural barriers that deny him physical access to the polling place, voting booth, or voting apparatus or machinery. Under no circumstance shall a candidate, a member of a candidate’s paid campaign staff, or a campaign volunteer be considered an "authorized representative" of an elector desiring to vote by absentee ballot.

(8) "Immediate family" means a person’s spouse, parents, children, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren, and mothers-in-law, fathers-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, sons-in-law, and daughters-in-law.

(9) "Overseas citizen" means a citizen of the United States residing outside of the United States as specified by § 7-15-110.