Election day is less than 40 days away and most U.S. citizens of age are capable of exercising their right to vote.
Students who attend North Dakota State but reside outside of the Fargo-Moorhead area are able to vote through an absentee ballot.
Absentee voting requirements and eligibility vary by state, however the overall idea is simple.
Voters must request a ballot from their residing state. A ballot will then be mailed to student’s current address, and the individual is able to vote and return the ballot in the mail. Ballots need to be returned before election day, but generally as soon as possible. A vote received after election day will not count.
In order to request a ballot from one’s home state, students must be registered to vote in that state.
The website for the National Conference of State Legislatures said at press time that voters are required to fill out an application to request an absentee ballot.
The deadline for pre-registration in Minnesota is Oct. 17. Minnesotan voters must be registered by that day to secure an absentee ballot. Minnesotan voters can register to vote and also apply for an absentee ballot online.
For Minnesota residents, an email address and the identification number on a student’s driver license must be provided to request a ballot, and if a student does not have an email then a link to the paper application is provided at Minnesota’s secretary of state website.
North Dakota residents can apply for an absentee ballot online, and once an absentee ballot is received it must be returned to their county’s election official in person or by mail by Nov. 7 to ensure a valid vote.
Students residing in South Dakota can go to their state’s secretary of state website and download the absentee ballot application which is to be printed, filled out and mailed to their county election official in order to receive a ballot. This process is identical for Wisconsin residents who can find their applications at the Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commissions website.
Students from Iowa can go to sos.iowa.gov to print their absentee ballot request form. From the same website, students are able to track their absentee ballot.
Californian students attending NDSU can contact their county election’s office and request a ballot through the phone, or go online to download the request form.