Register, get set, vote absentee
- posted: 16 Oct. 2007
- scrollnews@byui.edu
For Rexburg residents, the voting process is fairly simple. Register to vote, go to the local precinct, punch the ballot. No hassle.
For out-of-state voters wishing to vote this year in their home states while being away on Nov. 6, the process can be just as simple. There’s no need to travel home just to cast a ballot. Absentee voting is a few clicks away.
“It’s pretty simple. It’s pretty understandable,” said Washington resident Michael Cammack, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering. The disadvantage, he said, is that being away from home makes it more difficult to know about the political candidates he’ll be voting for.
Information on absentee ballot applications and candidate policies and platforms in any of the 50 states and U.S. territories can be found at www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Register.shtml.
Though deadlines and procedures vary from state to state, the basic process is similar across the nation and fairly straightforward.
First, students can request an absentee ballot at City Hall. The last day to request a mail absentee ballot is Oct. 31. Residents can request an in-person absentee ballot up until 5 p.m. on Nov. 5 for Idaho. Deadlines vary in each state. Once the request is made and voter registration is complete, voters will receive by mail an official absentee ballot, a ballot envelope, a return envelope, a voting pencil and instructions for voting.
Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on election day, Nov. 6, 2007, to be counted official.
When registering in person, a photo ID and proof of 30-day residency are required, according to the Absentee Voting 2007 brochure provided by the city. For out-of-state voters, a verification of enrollment may be obtained to prove 30-day residency.
Students are encouraged to apply for absentee ballots through their home states.
“It is important for those who are temporarily residing in Rexburg to be aware of the implications of registering here,” said Ellen Tew, an intern at Rexburg City Hall and a junior studying political science. “It may interfere with residency in another state, resulting in loss of residency elsewhere.”
According to section 34-107 of the Idaho State code, regarding residency: “A qualified elector [will not gain] residence in any county or city of this state into which he comes for temporary purposes only ...with the intention of leaving it when he has accomplished the purpose that brought him here.
“If a qualified elector moves to another state, or to any of the other territories, with the intention of making it his permanent home, he shall be considered to have lost his residence in [Idaho].”
Students are encouraged to address questions to the Madison County clerk’s office at 356-3662. 
