* Have a physical disability that prevents your voting at the polling place OR

*Have religious beliefs that prevent you from going to the polls

Illegal absentee voting, including making a false application, is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and up to five years in prison.

HOW TO OBTAIN AN ABSENTEE BALLOT

METHOD 1: APPLICATION BY VOTER. Absentee ballot applications are
available from local clerks' offices or by download from the Secretary of State's website at
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howabs.htm. But you don't need a form. All voters need to do is sign a note to their city/town clerk that includes the following information:

* Name
* Birth date and phone number (OPTIONAL but helpful to the clerk in verifying who you are or contacting you about a question)
* Address as registered
* Ward/precinct (IF KNOWN)
* Address where the ballot is to be sent
* If it's for a primary, which party's ballot is requested
* Signature (don't forget this!!!!)

METHOD 2: APPLICATION BY FAMILY MEMBER. A family member may apply for an absentee ballot if the voter meets the criteria listed in the LEGALITY section above. Again, forms are available at http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howabs.htm, but a note (even on scrap paper!) or form designed by you suffices as long as it includes the following information:

* Name and address of Massachusetts voter who is eligible for the absentee ballot
* Birth date of voter and applicant's phone number (OPTIONAL but helpful to the clerk)
* Election for which application is being made (primary, preliminary election, general election, all elections this year)
* If application is for primary, party whose ballot is requested
* Name of family member who is applying on behalf of the voter
* Relationship to voter - must be one of the following: person residing in same household, spouse, in-law, parent, sibling (whole or half-blood), child, adoptive parent or child, stepparent or child, uncle/aunt, niece/nephew, grandparent or grandchild
* Signature (don't forget!!!) of the family member who is making the application for the voter
* Address to which absentee ballot should be mailed

MAKING IT EASIER. Often small issues stand in the way of eligible voters or their families requesting absentee ballots. Maybe they don't know the zip code of the city/town clerk or can't find a stamp. Maybe they are off at college or traveling abroad - not thinking about election issues in September and early October.

Local committees can make it easier by devising their own absentee ballot request forms with the clerk's address preprinted, including postage, making the typeface more readable, encouraging family members to apply on behalf of voters who are on military duty, living abroad, away at college, etc.

If the ballot is going to be MAILED to the voter and returned by mail, you SHOULD TRY TO GET THE ABSENTEE BALLOTS REQUESTED A MONTH IN ADVANCE - figuring a week for the application to arrive, a week for the ballot to be mailed to the voter, a week for the human
tendency to procrastinate, and a week for the mail to deliver the completed ballot to the clerk's office.

If you, the eligible voter, are in town before the election, you can make your absentee ballot application and cast your vote at the same time if the ballots are ready (usually 2-3 weeks before the election). You may wish to call ahead to see if they're available.

The legal deadline for clerks' receipt of absentee APPLICATIONS is noon on the day before the election, and the deadline for receipt of the COMPLETED BALLOT for state elections is 8 pm on Election Day. Completed ballots may be delivered by hand by a family member (see definition above).

THE VOTING PROCESS
Absentee ballots will be mailed by the clerk's office when they are available, usually several weeks before the election. As mentioned above, if you the eligible voter are in town before the election,
you can make your absentee ballot application and cast your vote at the same time if the ballots are ready (usually 2-3 weeks before the election). You may wish to call ahead to see if they're available.

ABSENTEE VOTING BY NON-REGISTERED VOTERS
If you know someone from Massachusetts who is living abroad or is in jail (but not because of a felony conviction) who never registered to vote in the past, that person can request an absentee ballot. See the details at http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howabs.htm.

The Secretary of State's website has a helpful question-and-answer page covering voting by the permanently disabled, parents in nursing home, etc. See htp://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howabs.htm.

SAMPLE ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATION

   
 I am requesting an absentee ballot for the general election because I will be out of town or I am physically disabled and unable to get to the polls. My name and legal voting address is:

Name/DOB:

Address

City/State/Zip

Please mail an absentee ballot to me at the following address. If the same as the voting address write SAME.

Mailing Address

City/State/Zip

Sincerely,

--------------------------------

Signature of voter REQUIRED