You can vote by absentee ballot for a number of reasons, including that the voter will be out of the county on election day, has an illness or physical disability that prevents them from voting at their polling place, expects to be required to work a shift of 10 hours or more that coincide with polling place hours, or is incarcerated but has not been convicted of a felony that bars them for voting. Caregivers who are related to people with physical infirmities and cannot go to the polls also may apply for an absentee ballot.

Download an application to vote by absentee ballot in the Aug. 26 election.

Tuesday, Aug. 19, is the last day a mailed regular absentee application can be received in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall.

Thursday, Aug. 21, is the last day to hand deliver a regular absentee application to the City Clerk’s Office.

The absentee ballots themselves must be returned to the City Clerk’s Office by Monday, the day before the election, to be counted. Absentee ballots that are received in that office before noon on election day also will be counted.

There also are emergency provisions for people whose employers at the last minute give them assignments that would make them unable to go to the polls on election day, people who have medical emergencies requiring treatment within five days of the election and their caregivers, and people who have a family member to the second degree of kinship die within five days of the election.

In cases of medical emergency, the ballot application requires that the attending physician describe and certify the circumstances as constituting an emergency.  The voter may designate someone to turn in the medical emergency absentee ballot application and return the filled-in ballot to the absentee election manager before noon on the election day.

Download an emergency application to vote absentee.

If a runoff is required, potential voters have until Sept. 23 to register to vote in that Oct. 7 election.