Tempsett Coleman
Blue & White Flash / Staff Writer
When Terica Banks votes for the first time next month, she won’t have to stand in a long line like millions of other Americans. The Atlanta native will cast her vote using an absentee ballot.
“Absentee is convenient and essential in making your vote count towards the change,” said the senior accounting major.
Jackson State University’s out-of-state students have a choice of voting either at the campus precinct or by absentee ballot.
Some states call it early voting, some call it vote by mail, and some even call it advance voting. But it all refers to one thing: the process by which a state’s residents cast their votes by mailing in the ballots, instead of going to the precinct like most other voters. Absentee voting is available to any person who is unable to vote at the assigned polling place on Election Day for a reason acceptable by that state, according to the National Association of Secretaries of State. Absentee voters include the sick and shut in, and those out of state, including students, professionals, and military personnel.
Duanna Straughter, a senior speech communications major from Chicago, Ill., chooses to use absentee voting because she wants her vote to count towards her home state.
“I want my vote to count towards my state because that’s where I plan on voting in the future,” said Straughter.
According to the United States Election Project, absentee voting increased from 20 percent in 2004 to 30 percent in 2008, and the increase is expected to continue for the 2012 election.
The rules for absentee voting differ from state to state but involve a few simple steps. The first and most important step is to look online for information pertaining to your particular state.
Traditionally, absentee voting referred to receiving and returning a mail-in paper ballot prior to Election Day, according to NASS, but more recent absentee practices allow individuals to cast a ballot in person before Election Day.
In Mississippi, the deadline for absentee balloting in person at the clerk’s office is noon on Saturday, Nov. 3. Ballots returned by mail must be received in th circuit clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5. Military absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on election.
Most states have applications that can be found online that ask simple questions such as why you are unable to vote at your polling place. After you send the application In some states you don’t need to have a reason to vote absentee, and you can just request the ballot.
The deadline for the dates that the application has to be received varies from state to state. For instance, students from Illinois must have their applications mailed in by Nov. 1 and their ballots postmarked on or before the day of the election according to Illinois State Board of Elections. While those from Georgia have no specific deadline for the application but the ballot must be received by the time polls close on Election Day, according to Long distance Voter.org.
Once you receive the ballot through the mail, there are deadlines for when the ballot has to be mailed in, but that varies by state as well. Usually the ballot needs to be postmarked by the day of the election, but in some states the ballot must be received prior to the election, so it is important that you check your state’s requirements.
Straughter is an experienced absentee voter, and even with the rumors about absentee votes not counting, she encourages people to use the system.
“This will be my second time voting absentee and it’s a great way to make your vote count without the worry of re-registering and moving to a new precinct, especially since I’m only here temporarily.”
For more information on absentee voting, contact your Secretary of State’s office.
