Election 2004
Q&A MAKES STUDENT VOTING EASY!
Should I Vote at School or at Home?
Students in Michigan have the choice of voting either in their college town or in their hometown. If you are a Michigan resident voting in Michigan, the address on your voter registration card must match the address on your driver’s license. So, just decide whether it is easiest to vote at home or at school and take the following simple steps to exercise your most fundamental right! And don’t be shut out -- the deadline for changing your voting place or registering to vote is October 4, 2004!
For Michigan Residents:
How do I Vote at School?
To be able to vote where you attend college, your driver’s license must list your campus address. It is easy to update your address on your license and voter registration card and to register to vote by going to www.michigan.gov/vote. Just click on “How do I Register to Vote?” and scroll down to “Mail-In Forms.” You will receive a new voter registration card and a new address sticker for your license in the mail, free of charge. Use the same website to find your polling place.
Changing your driver’s license address won’t affect your financial aid or health insurance. Your auto insurance rates could go up or down - check with your insurance agent. You can always vote absentee if your rates will go up. It is easy and free to change your address when you move by going to www.michigan.gov/vote.
For Michigan Residents:
How Do I Vote at Home?
If you want to confirm that you are registered in your hometown or want to register, go to www.michigan.gov/vote. If you need to change your address, click on “How do I Register to Vote?” and scroll down to Mail-In Forms.
If you don’t want to travel back home, it is easy to vote absentee (see below).
What If I’m An Out-of-State Student?
If you want to vote in Michigan, you must fill out a Michigan Voter Registration Form. Go to www.michigan.gov/vote, visit the nearest Secretary of State office, or your City or Town Clerk to register. Out-of-State students can maintain an out-of-state driver’s license address and continue to use the family home as a fixed address to receive important mail such as tax forms, financial aid forms, etc.
If you want to vote in your home state, make sure to register or confirm your registration back home. Go to www.rockthevote.com to register to vote in your home state or search the web for your home state’s Secretary of State contact information.
You can either travel back home to vote or vote by absentee ballot. Check with your hometown clerk for more information.
Voting Absentee
You are eligible for an absentee ballot anytime you won’t be in the city or town in which you are registered on Election Day.
To vote by absentee ballot in Michigan, you must apply in writing to the town clerk where you are registered. Click here for an request form or go to either www.aclumich.org or www.michigannaacp.org. You can also call or go in person to your City or Town Clerk’s office. Find the phone number and address of your City or Town Clerk’s office at www.michigan.gov/vote.
To request an absentee ballot to vote out-of-state, contact either the Secretary of State’s office in your home state, or the City or Town Clerk’s office in the town that you are from. They will mail you a pre-printed application form at your campus address. Absentee ballot request deadlines vary state-to-state, so make your request as soon as possible if you know you will not be voting at home.
You cannot vote absentee if you’ve registered by mail and you are voting in
Michigan for the first time. However, if you registered in person, you may vote absentee if you will be out of town on the day of the election.
Your absentee ballot must be received on or before Election Day, so the sooner you send apply for an absentee ballot the better.
This information is provided by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the NAACP, both non-partisan organizations. Visit www.aclumich.org to learn more about the ACLU or to learn more about the NAACP, go to www.michigannaacp.org.
