The annual report of an electric membership corporation or foreign electric cooperative shall be delivered to the Secretary of State between January 1 and April 1 of each year, except that the initial annual report of a foreign electric cooperative shall be filed with its application for a certificate of authority. The initial annual report of an electric membership corporation shall be filed within 90 days after the day its articles of incorporation are delivered to the Secretary of State for filing, except that the initial annual report of an electric membership corporation whose articles of incorporation are delivered to the Secretary of State for filing subsequent to October 1 shall be filed between January 1 and April 1 of the year next succeeding the calendar year in which its certificate of incorporation was issued by the Secretary of State. Proof to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State that prior to 12:00 Midnight on the last day of such filing period such report was deposited in the United States mail in a sealed envelope, properly addressed, with first-class postage prepaid, shall be deemed a compliance with this requirement. If the Secretary of State finds that such report conforms to the requirements of this article, he shall file the same. If he finds that it does not so conform, he shall promptly return the same to the electric membership corporation or foreign electric cooperative for any necessary corrections, in which event the penalties prescribed in Code Section 46-3-540 for failure to file such report within the time provided in this Code section shall not apply if such report is corrected to conform to the requirements of this article and returned to the Secretary of State within one calendar month from the date it was returned by him to the electric membership corporation or foreign electric cooperative.