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In most states, you must apply for an absentee (mail in) ballot in advance of the deadline, usually seven days before Election Day, but sometimes more. What happens if you suddenly become ill after the absentee ballot application deadline has passed? Or if you get suddenly called out of town on a business trip and cannot return until after Election Day? In many states, you can request an “emergency absentee ballot” or ask to vote early at the county elections office. However, the laws in each state are different. For example, in Kentucky, you and your spouse can get an absentee ballot if you suffer a medical emergency between October 21 and November 3, but otherwise you have to demonstrate that you are absent from the county on all other days in which “absentee voting at the county clerk's office” is taking place. |
Steve Kamp's blog
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Now that you've registered for class, it's time to register to vote and confirm your correct information is on the voter rolls. The deadline may be less than a month away . Many states close registration as early as October 6. (In Nevada , mail registrations must be postmarked no later than October 4; and Mississippi has a Friday, October 3, deadline). For a useful state-by-state interactive guide, check out the Legal Guide to Student Voting by the Brennan Center for Justice at NY University School of law. Here's their list of complete state write-ups. |
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Now that you are registered, consider voting early if you are in one of the 34 states that offer "no excuse" absentee (vote by mail) voting or "no excuses" in-person "early voting" at the office of the county elections official. According to the Early Voting Information Center (Reed College, Oregon), these states are:
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Don't worry about registration if you are in North Dakota - it's the only state in America that does not require voter registration. You can wait until Election Day to register in Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Note that in Montana: (1) on Monday November 3 only, you will NOT be able to register at the county clerks office between 12 Noon and 5:00 p.m.; and (2) on Election Day November 4, you may only register at the county seat in the county clerks office, but may do so up until poll closing time.
Registration1. Check your voter registration status now: depending on the state, voter registration can close as early as October 4 (the mail registration or non county clerk agency deadline in Nevada). Call or go online to your local elections office, give them what you think your registered name and address are, and ask the office to confirm that you are registered and eligible to vote in the November election. If there is any doubt, immediately re-register in person at the elections office. 2. If you aren't registered, personally visit the elections office (bringing some form of ID with name and address with you in case they ask) and get registered. Now is the time to do this, because come October, when registration closes in many states, elections offices will be flooded with applicants and will be crowded. |
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In an August 21 WSJ article, ‘Getting Your Vote in Early,' which appeared on the front page of ‘Personal Journal' section, the author incorrectly listed a Kansas registration deadline as September 19, rather than October 20. Fortunately, ElectionPreparedness.com blogger Steve Kamp drew the author's attention to the error, quoting information from the Secretary of State's website and directing her to ElectionPreparedness.com. Registration Deadlines for all states. |
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