Out-of-state students can either register to vote in Texas or vote by mail, otherwise known as absentee voting, so that their vote will count in their home state.
With the debates picking up and the Nov. 6 election day drawing closer, many students are left to decide whether they want their votes to count in Texas, or whether they want their votes to count in their home state where they might already be registered.
Junior speech pathology major Rachelle Ronshaugen is an out-of-state student voting with an absentee ballot.
“I’m doing the absentee ballot for Colorado,” Ronshaugen said. “My views are more conservative and they’re liberal, so it might make a difference.”
Wesley Phelps, a sophomore psychology major, is also another student registering for an absentee ballot in her home state of Washington. Phelps believes it would be easier to vote by mail, rather than registering in a new state to vote. She also wants to be able to participate in other elections in her home state.
Sophomore nursing major Alexandra Wozab will also be voting with an absentee ballot.
“A majority of my friends that are out-of-state are doing that, so I felt like that’s the easiest route to go,” Wozab said. “I also talked to my parents about it, and that’s what they said I should do too.”
According to the Tarrant County Elections Office website, to vote by mail, an application needs to be filled out to receive the ballot. Once a voter receives the ballot, it needs to be filled out and sent it back to the Tarrant County Elections Office.
Joanne Connor Green, head of the political science department, said the process can differ from state to state, because the system is determined by state governments. A simple way to request an absentee ballot is at the Federal Voting Assistance Program web page, she said.
According to the Tarrant County Elections Office and the Federal Voting Assistance Program web page, absentee voting, or voting by mail, requires that voters participate in early voting.
The county elections office must receive the ballot in their office no later than the seventh day before elections.
To get more information on absentee voting or to fill an application for a ballot by mail for the upcoming presidential elections, visit www.fvap.gov.
