Request a Ballot by State

As of September 10, 2024

There are important federal as well as important local elections.  American University students who are citizens are typically eligible to vote absentee.  Use the information by state to register and/or request an absentee ballot.  If you need a stamp/envelope in order to vote, come to the Circulation/Borrowing desk in the library. 

Please note! There are concerns about post office delays.  If you are going to vote absentee, request and return your ballot as early as possible.  

This guide provides the information on all steps of the voting process, geared towards students who will not be present at their permanent address on election day.  

On this site, you will find the information you need arranged by state.

Absentee Ballot Days in the Library

September 16-September 20th on the first floor of the library, we will be available to help you request your absentee ballot and/or register to vote.

We will provide;

• Assistance in figuring out the forms
• Copies of IDs for those who need them
• Free printing of forms for those who need paper forms
• Envelopes and stamps for those who need to mail paper copies
• Signed witnesses/notary for those who need them

If you do not have ID

The organization Voteriders.org will help you get one.

If either your ballot or application requires a notary public

If you need a notary, contact Gwendolyn Reece, greece@american.edu to make an appointment.

Process

•  Verify your registration 
  • If you are not registered or have been purged from the rolls, register
• If you are away from your home county because you are in school, request an Absentee Ballot or for your mail ballot to be sent to your campus address.
• Research all your races.
  • Vote411.org is a great non-partisan site for comparisons on all races
  • Ballotpedia.org is another high quality non-partisan site for comparisons
  • You can get all sorts of information on state elections from the National Conference of  State Legislatures, State Elections Legislation Database: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/elections-legislation-database.aspx
    
•  Review all of the ballot instructions when they arrive and follow them exactly. 
  • Be sure that you include the right amount of postage and, if unsure, err on the side of an extra stamp. 
  • Pay attention to how to put the envelopes together - often you put your ballot in a sealed envelope and  put the sealed envelope in another envelope that may include an affidavit, a copy of ID, and be sealed with a signature, maybe the signature of a witness.
  • Pay special attention to whether the ballot must be RECEIVED or POSTMARKED by a particular day.  Give your ballot as long a window as possible to arrive [find a post office/postal box - https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm].

If you have additional questions

Vote.gov is a federal site that gives a good deal of information about special circumstances and links to forms: https://vote.gov/

If you have questions or comments on any content, please email: Gwendolyn Reece - greece@american.edu

Request a Ballot by State by Gwendolyn Reece is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.