Feature photo by Makayla Sulcer
Story by Kameron Scott and DeAsia Powell
There are less than 40 days before election day on Nov. 5, and if you’re away from home but want to vote, you might be eligible to apply for an absentee ballot.
Absentee balloting allows voters the opportunity to vote by mail even if they are not in town for election day or early voting, a common problem among college students. But how does absentee voting actually work?
The last day the Tennessee government accepts the absentee ballot application is seven days before election day: Oct. 29. You can request a ballot any time from now until then. The ballot itself MUST be turned in to your local election office (in person or received in the mail) by the time polls close (7 p.m. in Rutherford County) on election day: Nov. 5.
Absentee voting guidelines vary between each state. For information more specific to your state, visit your state’s secretary of state website.
Here are some tips from Nancy Prescott of the MTSU American Democracy Project for those interested in voting absentee:
Call your local election commission office.
- The best thing for students who wish to vote absentee is to contact their local election commission office and research the requirements. Some states allow absentee ballot applications without an excuse, while others, including Tennessee, require a valid excuse to apply for one.
- Another reason to check with the local election commission office is that one might not be eligible for an absentee ballot if they have never voted in person.
- Some places require people to vote in person first before they are eligible to vote by absentee ballot. Again, this only applies in some places, so it’s important to check with the election commission office.
What if you’re ineligible to vote back home?
- If a student finds out they are ineligible to vote in their local jurisdiction, they should register to vote in Rutherford County at their local address, whether they live on or off campus. The deadline to register to vote in Tennessee is Oct. 7.
- Prescott said that by virtue of a student living here and going to MTSU, it should be enough to make them eligible to vote here.
What form of ID do you need to bring to the polls?
- For in-state students, all they need to bring to the polls is a U.S. issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license. But for out-of-state students, they need a bit more.
- Along with their U.S.-issued ID, they should also bring along their MTSU ID. In addition, they should bring some proof of residency. This could include a lease agreement, dorm contract or a utility bill in their name that proves that they live in Rutherford County.
Kameron Scott and DeAsia Powell are contributing writers for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact the News Editor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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