For a while now you?ve been hearing all the hype about the presidential candidates for the 2008 election. Come November, you?ll no doubt want to finally voice your opinion. Since many students will not physically be in the state they are registered to vote on Election Day, Nov. 4, they?ll want to submit an absentee vote before the actual election.

Twenty percent of voters said they cast their ballots early in the 2004 election, according to The National Annenberg Election Survey. You can be an early voter too by applying for an absentee ballot.



Though specific steps are different in each state, most application processes are similar to this:



1. Visit your state?s Secretary of State Web site. Usually there are links that give step-by-step instructions.

2. Print out the provided absentee voter application and mail it into the specified address, usually the local election authority, by the specified deadline.

3. Receive your absentee ballot in the mail.

4. Vote.

5. Mail ballot to the specified address by the provided deadline.



It is as easy as that. States have already begun accepting requests, with absentee voting continuing up until the day before the election. Applications can also be accepted in person and sometimes by fax, but not over the Internet.



State-by-State

? For Ohio, visit http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/ and click on the ?Your Voice, Your Vote: Register? icon at the bottom and follow the links to absentee voting. An application is provided, but not required to be used.

? For Missouri, visit http://www.sos.mo.gov/. The left sidebar link ?Candidates and Voters? will take you to ?Voting Info,? then ?Absentee Voting.? Notice the absentee ballot request form.

? For Illinois, visit the Illinois State Board of Elections at http://www.elections.state.il.us/VotingInformation/welcome.aspx. Follow the directions under the link ?Absentee voting? under ?Voting Before Election Day.?

? For Indiana, visit http://www.in.gov/sos/ and click on the ?INvotes? link at the top of the homepage. Click on ?Voter Information Portal,? then ?Absentee Ballot Applications and Forms? under the heading ?Absentee Voting.?



Remember, most states require that you are a registered voter about a month before the next election.