So You Wanna Vote In Your Home State

2006 GENERAL ELECTION

The following guide is a product of Haverford College’s Student Political Network. Information contained is from either the federal government (information on national voter registration), from wikipedia.org (lists of state-wide races) or individual state elections websites (locations of absentee voter info and county offices). Please check your secretary of state’s website for additional information. If you would like personal help, feel free to contact ladriaan (AT) hc or call your local officials.

This information was complied in August 2006. Changes may occur. It is only intended to inform you of your absentee voting options for the 2006 general election in your state. You are encouraged to find out about the primaries and subsequent elections in your state.

You are not required to vote absentee in your home state or county. You can vote as a resident of Haverford College in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Please contact SPN if you would rather vote in Pennsylvania by going to go.haverford.edu/vote.

If this is your first time voting, please check your state’s elections website and find out if you need special status for your first vote to take place by absentee ballot. You can find the websites here: LINK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Three Steps to Absentee Voting
State Voter Information
(states listed alphabetically)
Some Notes on Absentee Voting
2006 General Elections

THREE STEPS TO ABSENTEE VOTING

• Registering: You can use the national voter registration form… except for in the following situations:
  - Wyoming does not accept this form
  - North Dakota does not have voter registration
  - New Hampshire only views this as a request for a NH mail-in absentee voter registration form (you’ll have to do this again, with a state form)
• Haverford’s Student Political Network has a website for you to fill out the national voter registration form. You will be campus mailed your completed form so that you can sign and send it off to your department of elections. Please check GO! (go.haverford.edu) for a link to get yourself registered or contact Travis Green (tgreen@haverford.edu)
• Requesting an absentee ballot: These tend to be dealt with on a county by county basis. You may be able to get easy access from your home county’s website, but if that doesn’t work too easily, here’s a state list of how to get this done. Most counties have a website to help you.

You may want to check out if your home state has an absentee voting in person (early voting) program. If you are going home during Fall Break, you may be able to vote ahead of time, in person.

The absentee ballot request form (or application or affidavit) needs to be turned in as quickly as you can, but probably not before the start of October.

Filling out and returning the ballot: Make sure everything required is filled in. There are some tips at the end of this document regarding filling it out and returning it. Generally, make sure the ballot returns to your state by October 31st, which is a week before Election Day.

STATE VOTER INFORMATION

CLICK ON YOUR STATE

OTHER VOTING DISTRICTS

Alabama

For statewide elections, absentee ballot application and the ballots themselves need to be mailed to the Absentee Election Manager in care of the county’s Circuit Clerk

The ballot request can be downloaded here: LINK

And you can find the mailing address of your county’s Circuit Clerk here: LINK

Alaska

The ballot request form can be downloaded here: LINK

You need to send it to:
Alaska Division of Elections
Absentee Office
619 E. Ship Creek Ave. #329
Anchorage, AK 99501-1677

If you need to talk to your district or city, check: LINK

Arizona

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

Arkansas

The ballot request forms are handled purely county-by-county.
Look up your county info here: LINK
There is a link to the County Clerk Directory.

California

The ballot request form is here: LINK
There is a link to a PDF that you can directly fill out.

To find out who to send it to, go here: LINK

Colorado

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Connecticut

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your township’s officials. Find yours here: LINK
Scroll to the bottom of the page.

Delaware

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK
Your application MUST be notarized. See the end of this document for on-campus ones.

You need to send it to your Department of Elections. Find yours here: LINK

District of Columbia

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it here:
District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics
441 4th Street, NW, Suite 250 North
Washington, DC 20001

Florida

The ballot request forms are handled purely county-by-county.
Look up your county info here: LINK
You can find your supervisor of elections there and request a form from them.

Georgia

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Board of Registrars. Find yours here: LINK

Hawaii

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your City or County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Idaho

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Illinois

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

Indiana

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK
You need to click on “Absentee Ballot” at the top of the page

You need to send it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK
or use the addresses found on the absentee ballot application PDF

Iowa

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Auditor. Find yours here: LINK

Kansas

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your county election official. Find yours here: LINK

Kentucky

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

Louisiana

(note that at this website there is information for displaced voters.)

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK
Scroll down to the “Absentee Voting – By Mail” section.

You need to send it to your Registrar of Voters. Find yours here: LINK

Maine

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your Municipal Clerk: LINK

Maryland

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Elections Office. Find yours here: LINK

Massachusetts

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your local clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Michigan

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK
Scroll down to “Requesting an Absentee Voter Ballot”

You need to send it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Minnesota

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Auditor. Find yours here: LINK

Mississippi

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

Missouri

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Clerk or Election Official. Find yours here: LINK

Montana

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK
Look to the right of the page

You need to send it to your local election office. Find yours here: LINK

Nebraska

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK
It is listed as the Early Voter Application Form

You need to send it to your County Election Official. Find yours here: LINK

Nevada

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

New Hampshire

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your City or Town Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

New Jersey

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

New Mexico

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

New York

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

North Carolina

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

North Dakota

You are special. You don’t have to be registered. That said...

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your county auditor or election official. Find yours here: LINK
Scroll down beneath the list of applications and choose “see listing of county election officials.”

Ohio

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK
Scroll down to “Am I Eligible to Vote by Absentee Ballot” and choose Form 11-A

You need to send it to your County Boards of Elections. Find yours here: LINK

Oklahoma

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Election Board. Find yours here: LINK

Oregon

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

Pennsylvania

If you are voting as a resident of Haverford College, SPN will provide transportation for you to go to the polls. If you are voting in your home county, please follow these links.

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Election Board. Find yours here: LINK

Puerto Rico

The website is here: LINK
Look for sections about “absentee.” Make sure to find out whom to return it to.

Rhode Island

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to send it to your local board of canvassers. Find yours here: LINK

South Carolina

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

South Dakota

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK
Scroll down to “Absentee Voting”

You need to send it to your County Auditor. Find yours here: LINK

Tennessee

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

Texas

The ballot request process is here: LINK

You need to send it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Utah

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to return it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Vermont

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to return it to your Town Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Virginia

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to return it to your Local Registrar. Find yours here: LINK

Washington

Your state already does all voting by mail. So you need to tell your County Auditor what your campus address is so they can send the ballot there, instead of to your house. Find yours here: LINK

West Virginia

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to return it to your County Clerk. Find yours here: LINK

Wisconsin

The ballot request form can be found here: LINK

You need to return it to your Local Municipal Clerks: LINK

Wyoming

You cannot register using the national form. You can register to vote here: LINK

The ballot request forms and deadlines are handled purely county-by-county. Look up your county info here: LINK

SOME NOTES ON ABSENTEE VOTING

CONTACTING COUNTY OFFICIALS
Please keep in mind that these are generally middle-aged bureaucrats who very much want you to vote and may not want to deal with you. When contacting them for a ballot, try the county website. If there is no online form, call the offices. E-mail will probably not be quickly dealt with. When contacting them with questions, call them. It may take a couple transfers, but you will be put in touch with someone who knows what they are talking about.

DEADLINES
Like everything else related to government and the postal service, give yourself and your absentee ballot provider time to process your application. Send your request form in early. Send your ballot back as soon as you can, ideally so that it will arrive by October 31st. Most states deadlines for ballots are the day of or the day before the elections, but the USPS may not be accommodating.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
If you are looking at your local issues and/or local candidates, please check out your hometown newspaper(s), especially their editorial sections. Most papers make their own endorsements and give reasons why. Even if your local paper is a leftist tract and you identify as a conservative, you can find out where candidates stand. Also look for local voter guides, state party websites and any political action committee (PAC) which you believe in.

MAKING IT VALID
Many states require a witness to say that you filled out the ballot. Grab a roommate or a suitemate and have them sign. You don’t need a notary or anything like that, just someone above the age of eighteen.
Please make sure to fill out every part of the form which applies to you. Otherwise, your ballot may be invalidated.

NOTORIZING
If your ballot application needs to get notarized, don’t worry. According to the Employee Handbook: “The College has two notaries public available on campus during business hours. Nancy Grundhofer is located in the Human Resources Office in Stokes Hall 118, and Lucy Stewart is in the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration in Founders 114.”

OUT OF THE COUNTRY
If you are currently out of the country, please look into the Federal Post Card Application and its online alternative at: LINK.
Validity varies state to state.

JUST BREATHE
Most states won’t let you call in to confirm that your ballot was received. Just check the postage and the form. If you did things right, your ballot will come in and be counted.

2006 GENERAL ELECTIONS

The following states have senatorial races:
Arizona
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Hawaii
Indiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

The following states have gubernatorial races:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Wisconsin
Wyoming

EVERY STATE HAS CONGRESSIONAL RACES IN EVERY DISTRICT, in addition to local elections from mayoral to county council to, well, no one’s sure if dog catcher is a real elected office but just in case, you should vote!

Please tell the Student Political Network if you vote absentee. It will help us keep records for future GOTV projects! And feel free to contact us with questions, for help, or anything else you need.