Absentee Ballots for Homebound Senior Citizens

Homebound senior citizens can vote by mail by filing a Permanent Absentee application with the Board of Elections. Permanent Absentee status is available for any voter who claims a permanent illness or physical disability. (If you expect to be homebound for only a short while, and eventually resume going to your polling place to vote, you would instead file a Temporary Absentee application.)

All applicants must fill out name, address, date of birth, and tell us if you want the ballot mailed to you or if you wish someone to pick it up for you. Power of Attorney may not sign the application or ballot for the applicant. If the applicant is unable to sign they must make a mark (x) on the signature line. Power of Attorney may then witness such mark on the proper witness line. These applications also must include doctors' name and address, and the nature of the illness or disability. This does not have to be explicitly detailed. Something like “limited mobility” or “limited vision” will suffice.

You only need to file a Permanent Absentee application once. Afterwards you will receive ballots for any election administered by the Board of Elections for which you are eligible. (School Boards and Fire Districts administer their own elections. They often get Permanent Absentee lists from us, but you should check with them if you want to be sure of receiving their ballots). Ballots are usually mailed out about three weeks before an election. If you haven't received a ballot by two weeks prior, please call our office and we will send you a new one.

An absentee ballot is a paper ballot which looks just like the ballot on a voting machine. You must mark your ballot clearly in pen or pencil and be sure not to make any other marks on it. After you have filled out the ballot, enclose it in the envelope provided, seal it, and sign and date the affidavit oath on the back of the envelope. Mail or deliver the ballot to the Board of Elections. Your vote is secret.

Keep in mind that unless the oath is signed and the ballot is sealed in the provided envelope, your ballot will not be counted. If the ballot is mailed, it must be postmarked no later than the day before an election. If the ballot is personally delivered to the Board of Elections it must be received no later than the close of polls on Election Day.  Absentee ballots should not be delivered to the polling sites.

Permanent or Temporary Absentee application forms can be obtained at the above links, or at the Board of Elections, 128 E. Buffalo Street, Ithaca, open 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday. Call us if you like us to mail you a form (607-274-5522).

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