You must apply for an absentee ballot from your city or town clerk or election commission no later than noon of the day before the election. Applications may be mailed or hand delivered and you may use any form of written communication (letter or postcard). If you are not registered in Massachusetts, then you should request your ballot by OCTOBER 1 to ensure that you will receive your ballot in time for the general election in November. Dates for primary elections vary from state to state. A family member of a person qualified to vote by absentee ballot may apply in the same manner for you. To be counted, a completed ballot must be received by the time the polls close on election day.

We suggest that you send a letter to your local office. DemocracyNet is an excellent resource for absentee ballots.

DOWNLOADABLE ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST LETTER
To make requesting an absentee ballot as easy as possible, the College Democrats have written a simple absentee ballot request that you can download and print, or you can look at the sample form letter below and write your own.

Your County's Name
City/County Clerk's Office
Address
City, State, Zip

To Whom It May Concern:

I will not be able to vote at the polls in the November 7, 2006 election because **REASON**. I am writing to request an absentee ballot for the November 3, 1998 election.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATION FORM

Name (as registered):_______________________________
Birthdate(MM-DD-YY):_________________
SSN:____________
Registration Address: ____________________________
____________________

Mailing Address: _____________________________
(to which ballot _____________________________
should be sent)

SIGNATURE: __________________________________________