Absentee Ballots

Any registered California voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.

You may vote by absentee ballot in Connecticut if:

• You will be absent from town during all the hours of voting
• You are ill
• You have a physical disability which makes it difficult for you to get to the polls
• Your religious tenets forbid secular (non-religious) activity on Election Day
• Your required performance of duties as a primary, referendum, or election official at a polling place other than your own during all the hours on Election Day

Some counties will let you order your absentee ballot online. Please check with your Supervisor of Elections to see if this is possible in your county.

Any registered Florida voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.

Any registered Illinois voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.

You may vote by absentee ballot in Massachusetts if:

• you will be absent from your city or town on Election Day.
• you have a physical disability that prevents your voting at the polling place.
• you cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs
• you are confined in a correctional facility or jail (but NOT on a felony charge)

Generally, a voter must be registered in order to vote absentee, though several exceptions exist: Those outside of Massachusetts, prisoners, and members of the armed forces or merchant marine, or their spouses or dependents, do not need to be registered in order to vote absentee.

Any registered Minnesota voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.

You may vote by absentee ballot in New Hampshire if:

• you will be absent on the day of any state election from the county, city, or town in which you are registered to vote
• you are unable appear in public on Election Day because of your observance of a religious commitment
• you are unable to vote in person by reason of physical disability
• you are unable to vote in person by reason of military service
• you are unable to appear at any time during polling hours at your polling place because an employment obligation requires you to remain physically at work or to be in transit to or from work from the time the polls open until after the time the polls close

Any registered New Jersey voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.

You may vote by absentee ballot in New York if:

• you are unavoidably absent from your county on Election Day
• you are unable to appear at the polls due to illness or disability
• you are a patient in a Veterans’ Administration Hospital
• you are detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony

Pennsylvania requires you to provide your PA drivers license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number when you vote by absentee ballot. You'll see a place to enter this information on the absentee ballot itself. If you can't provide either of these numbers for whatever reason, you'll need to include a photocopy of your ID with this application.

You may vote by absentee ballot in Pennsylvania if:

• you are in the military service of the United States (military voters do not need to be registered to vote to vote by absentee ballot, and they do not need to be overseas or even outside of Pennsylvania)
• you are a spouse or dependent of someone in the military, and you expect on Election Day to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of residence during the entire period in which the polling places are open for voting (7 a.m. - 8 p.m.).
• you are a member of the Merchant Marine (or a spouse or dependent) and you expect on Election Day to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of residence during the entire period in which the polling places are open for voting (7 a.m. - 8 p.m.).
• you are a member of a religious or welfare group attached to and serving with the armed forces (or a spouse or dependent) and you expect on Election Day to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of residence during the entire period in which the polling places are open for voting (7 a.m. - 8 p.m.).
• you expect that your occupation or duties (including leaves of absence for teaching, vacations, and sabbatical leaves) will cause you to be away from your municipality on Election Day. This also applies to spouses and dependents.
• you are a war veteran who is bedridden or hospitalized due to illness or physical disability and therefore unable to vote in person (note: people who fall in this group can vote by absentee ballot even if they are not already registered).
• you are ill or physically disabled and therefore unable to go to a polling place or operate a voting machine.
• you are employed by the Commonwealth or the Federal Government and your duties require you to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of your residence on Election Day. This also applies to spouses and dependents.
• you are employed by the county and you expect that your Election Day duties will prevent you from voting.
• you will be observing a religious holiday and will be unable to vote.

Any registered Rhode Island voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.