- You must vote in the polling place designated by where you are registered to vote. If you registered using your home address and cannot get there in person during early voting dates (if your state has those) or on election day, you MUST request an absentee ballot in order to vote. Some states permit vote by mail, check with your local board of elections to see if your state allows that.
- Request your absentee ballot early, as mail takes up to a week (especially during a busy voting season) to arrive on campus and can take up to 1-2 business days (M-F) to be processed and made available for pickup by students. Residential students may pick up their letter mail at the IC Pack and Ship, located in the Campus Store.
- Many states have specific dates by which you need to request your absentee ballot – please pay careful attention to those dates. Make sure you mail your request to them leaving at least 7-10 days for it to receive your local board of elections.
- Voter registration and absentee ballots going through the mail use the postmark date (they must be marked by the post office ... not just dropped in a general post box). To ensure your ballot or registration form receives the appropriate postmark, plan to send out your ballot well in advance of the deadline. If you need to purchase postage for your outgoing ballot, you may do so at the IC Pack and Ship, located in the Campus Store. If your outgoing ballot already has the proper postage, you can drop it off at the Campus Store, the IC Mail Center, or at the blue postage box located between the Campus Center and Williams Hall. Materials to be postmarked on the day you drop them off must be received in the Campus Store or IC Mail Center no later than noon (items placed in the outdoor blue postage box may not be postmarked on the date you drop them in the box). Check your state absentee ballot rules to be sure you know when your materials must be postmarked by.
- Absentee ballots come with very specific rules about how they must be sealed and signed – please read those rules carefully and follow them to the letter to ensure that your ballot will be counted.
To find your state information about absentee voting: https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/ and scroll down to see a list of states.
Deadlines for Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request by State: https://www.naicu.edu/your-vote-your-voice Choose the state where you are registered to vote to find the deadlines for registration, for requesting an absentee ballot, and the date when the absentee ballot should be received by.
For more general information about elections: https://libguides.ithaca.edu/polticomm