West Hartford residents who are eligible for absentee ballots for this year’s election, including college students who are registered to vote, can apply any time until Nov. 2, 2015.

West Hartford Town Hall. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By: Katie Cavanaugh

Those who are eligible to receive an absentee ballot may apply for them beginning immediately and may apply as late as Nov. 2, 2015, the day before this year’s election.

As stated on the Town of West Hartford website, in order to qualify for an absentee ballot, one must be absent from West Hartford during all hours of voting, be ill, have a disability, be active in the armed forces, have duties as an elected official at a polling place, or have religious tenets prohibiting voting in person on election day.

According to West Hartford Town Clerk Essie Labrot, ballots will begin to be mailed out on Oct. 2. Then, beginning on Oct. 2, people will be able to walk into the Town Clerk’s office, fill out the application, and receive the ballot all in one visit. This option will be available up until the day before the election.

“What’s important for college students to remember is to put their [home] address down, and the address that they want it to be mailed to,” said Labrot.

According to Labrot, those eligible for ballots are allowed to have the ballots mailed directly to them at school or get them sent to their home in West Hartford.

“If the ballot is mailed to the student’s home, and the student is away, a family member can forward the mail as long as the student completes the ballot according to directions and submits it in the proper envelope with their signature required,” said Labrot.

After the student signs the ballot and puts it in the envelope, either the student can mail it in or their parent can deliver it to the Town Clerk’s office with their signature on the envelope. “It is a way of keeping track of who is handling the ballot other than the mail system,” said Labrot.

Labrot said if someone violates the handling of absentee ballots, they will face a penalty.

The number of absentee ballots sent out varies based on the type of election that is being held. “With regard to absentee ballots, we did about 5,000 in the last Presidential [election], 2,000 in the State [election], and between 500-700 in a local [election],” Labrot said.

This being said, Labrot would like to encourage more residents to come out and vote in local elections.

“Who votes has the most powerful impact on policies and government,” said Labrot. “Local issues are everything from school and town budgets to how many dogs a resident can have, so local elections have more immediate impact on our residents.”

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