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Vote early by mail

You may vote early by mail if:

1. You will be away from your county on Election Day and during early voting;
2. You are sick or disabled;
3. You are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
4. You are confined in jail, but eligible to vote.

You can get a formal application for a ballot by mail from:

1. The Secretary of State's office;
2. The Early Voting Clerk in your county;
   For contact information of the Early Voting Clerk in your county, click here.
3. Download an application for a ballot by mail here.

If you are voting early because of expected absence, you may apply in person for a ballot by mail before the early “voting in person” period begins (usually the 17th day before the election).

You can write your own application for a ballot by mail, as long as it contains:

1. Your signature, or a witness' signature if you cannot sign;
2. Your name and the address at which you are registered to vote;
3. The address to which the ballot is to be mailed;
4. The election date and the election for which you are requesting a ballot. (For a primary election, you must state the political party's primary in which you want to vote); and
5. A reason why you are eligible to vote early by mail. To be eligible to vote early because you expect to be out of the county, your application must state the out-of-county address where you want your ballot mailed.

Your ballot by mail application must be sent to the Early Voting Clerk at the county Voter Registrar office where you are registered. Below are the 2010 election dates and the ballot by mail application periods. Applications must be received (not postmarked) by last day of the application period:

1. November 2, 2010 Uniform Elections: September 3 – October 26

You may send in your application for a ballot by mail by:

1. Regular mail;
2. Common or contract carrier; or by
3. FAX if (a) a FAX machine is available to the Early Voting Clerk and (b) you are faxing your application from outside the county.

The Early Voting Clerk must receive your marked ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day or, if you are mailing your ballot from outside the United States, by the 5th day after Election Day. (Overseas ballots must be mailed no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day).