Absentee Voting and You

[Ed.'s note, if you live in Michigan, Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee or Illinois, visit www.longdistancevoter.org to see if you are affected by these laws.]

Monday, after participating in my first voter registration effort with Rock the Vote in partnership with the Baltimore Ravens, I was thrilled to be practicing what I had preached. Yesterday, while in an effort to request an absentee ballot from my home state, Tennessee, I noticed a caution statement at the bottom of the list of absentee voter requirements:

CAUTION: If you register to vote by mail you must vote in person in the first election after your registration becomes effective. You CANNOT vote by absentee ballot...

I am a first time voter so I immediately contacted my election board to clarify if I had, in fact, registered by mail. Because I had, they told me the law stood as is, unless I traveled 840 miles home to re-register or participate in early voting I would not be able to vote absentee in the state of Tennessee. Overwhelmed with the thought of being denied the right to vote absentee as a Tennessee resident, I immediately thought of all the people who will not know this law until it is too late. The thought of thousands of college students and first time voters who will not be able to travel to their designated precincts to cast their vote on November 4, but will not be able to vote absentee because of this law infuriates me. I consider myself lucky because I received this information early enough to fix the problem. But what about those who will not?

It is up to all of us who know our rights to inform others of the different stipulations legislation puts on voter's eligibility. In every election young voters are faced with all the twists and turns that prohibit them from being eligible to vote and in retrospect...silencing their voices. Let your voice be heard this election. Stand and up, Speak out, and Choose to Rock the Vote.

-Cortney D. Griffith