Absentee ballot voting 101

With the presidential election right around the corner, many Pitt students have felt the… With the presidential election right around the corner, many Pitt students have felt the registration pressure from every direction. However, many college students have already registered to vote in their hometown and do not choose to take the time to register to vote in Pittsburgh. For those voters, there is another option: the absentee ballot. Registering for an absentee ballot may sound foreign or intimidating, but every student and teacher here at Pitt who will be away from his hometown on Election Day qualifies for an absentee ballot. Eligibility for an absentee ballot applies to individuals who will be away from the residence in which they are registered to vote during the entire period the polls are open for voting. Others who qualify include those who cannot attend the polls because of military duties, religious holidays, serious illness or disability. Despite the eligibility of many Pitt students, student Lissa Geiger had some advice regarding absentee ballots versus registering to vote on campus. ‘I’ve been doing on-campus voter registration, and it is the best way to register to vote. The Pennsylvania state secretary general has said that students have a right to vote at their campus address,’ said Geiger. Geiger also said she believes that because students are living here during November, it makes much more sense to vote in person. Any person from any state can change his address to vote as long as he will be living at that new address for at least 30 days prior to the election. This should apply to almost all students at Pitt. ‘Absentee ballots are way too complicated. I voted by absentee once in the fall of my freshman year, and it was so hard,’ said Geiger. ‘Basically, it is three separate deadlines, all of which are easy for college students to miss. Let’s be honest, many college students have trouble remembering deadlines for their homework,’ she said. For those who wish to vote via absentee ballot, the voter must first contact the County Board of Elections office in his hometown or place of previous registration. The voter may either download the application or have one sent from the office. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is the Tuesday prior to the election.’ The County Board of Elections office must then receive the absentee ballot by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to Election Day. In order for the absentee ballot to be counted, the form must be correctly completed and delivered promptly to the County Board of Elections. If these standards are not met, it may result in the absentee ballot being challenged and/or set aside by the County Board of Elections. ‘It’s just easier to fill out one [registration] form that takes two minutes and then show up at the polls on campus or near your apartment on Election Day,’ said Geiger.