Absentee voter requirements for 2012 election

Killian WalshLindenlink Reporter

With many students going to school far away from home, absentee voting will be a common option to students.

State law requires that everyone must vote in their own district. That means that you can not vote wherever you want, but in the municipality of your permanent address. Since many Lindenwood students are from out of state, they may choose to vote absentee.

Absentee voting means that a person cannot vote in his or her own district on Election Day but still wishes to vote. According to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website, in order to vote absentee, a person must provide a legitimate reason for doing so such as an absence on Election Day from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which such voter is registered to vote, incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability, religious belief or practice, employment as an election authority, or incarceration. They must request the absentee ballot by fax or in person and must return the absentee ballot no later than 5 p.m. on the Wednesday before Election Day. In this case, that will be on Oct. 31.

“I was raised in a family where you vote,” said Izzy Mersch, sophomore.  Mersch is from Springfield, Mo., which is about four hours away from campus so she will not be able to vote in her own district.

The Presidential election will take place around the country on Nov. 6.