Since many students are away from home this November, some have decided to cast their votes for the presidential election by absentee ballot.

According to Coles County Clerk Betty Coffrin, about 13,000 ballots have already come in for tonight’s election.

“That’s about normal for a presidential election,” Coffrin said.

There are two ways to submit an absentee ballot, Coffrin said. The ballots are a mixture of in-person voting and ballots received by mail.

Absentee voters must have contacted the office and applied to receive a ballot by Oct. 28. The County Clerk’s office sends absentee voters an application for an absentee ballot.

The application must be filled out and sent back to the County Clerk’s office.

The office then sends the voter an official ballot, which must be filled out in privacy unless a voter is physically incapacitated and cannot do so.

The deadline for those who wish to vote early in person is Nov. 1.

“I didn’t realize there were deadlines,” said Stephanie Beard, a junior special education major.

Beard said the County Clerk’s office in her home town faxed her the application, but could not accept a faxed signature, so she had to overnight the application in order to vote.

“It’s just a lot of paperwork back and forth,” Beard said.

Voters who know they will not be present in their county on election day, who are physically unable to be present at the polling place on Nov. 2, members of armed forces and those who cannot vote on Nov. 2 because of the observance of a religious holiday are eligible to vote early by absentee ballot.

Students who live away from their counties can also vote by absentee ballot if they do not wish to reregister in Coles County.

Alix Orwig, a junior communication studies major, voted by absentee ballot in the first presidential election she was able to participate in.

“It was a confusing process at first, but it ended up being really easy,” Orwig said.

In order to make the deadline, Orwig applied for her absentee ballot from Fulton County in West-Central Illinois in the middle of October.

By today, early voters have already done their part in choosing who will be elected.

All they can do now is encourage others to vote and tune into the news to see the turnout of Election 2004.

“I’m glad I got my vote in,” Orwig said.