CORRECTION: This article initially gave the wrong time duration before the absentee ballot deadline. They must be received by the county board of elections no later than 10 days before the election, if mailed in. (Or no later than the day before the election, if receiving in person.)

ROCHESTER, N.Y. —With election season in full swing, now is the time to register to vote if you haven’t already. But what about those who aren’t from Monroe County — maybe they’re students from different parts of the state, or even country?

Annette Ramos, the voter registration coordinator for the Monroe County Board of Elections, is setting up voter registration booths in R-Centers across the city to make sure people are registered to vote — either in-person, absentee, or vote by mail.

“So absentee ballots and vote by mail, you must apply for them either online or phone or in-person. You will then fill out the form to receive your ballot,” Ramos said.

Once you’ve received your ballot, the Board of Elections notes in your voter registration history that you have requested an absentee ballot or a vote by mail.

“Once you have done that, you cannot go in person to vote. We then expect to get your absentee ballot or you vote by mail back. It is due 10 days before the general election. So it’s really important when you’re voting by absentee or by mail that you adhere to all of the deadlines so that you ensure that your ballot is counted on Election Day,” said Ramos.

For college students voting in elections from school, those absentee and mail-in ballots can be the difference between making their voice heard, and not — which is why schools like the University of Rochester make a point to make sure their students are educated on voting.

“We’re always looking to engage students broadly across the university, not just the political science majors or other social science majors, but really reaching students of all stripes, whether it’s engineering, natural sciences, humanities and so on,” said Glenn Cerosaletti, associate dean of students at the University of Rochester.

The deadline to register to vote in-person, or by mail, is Oct. 26, which is also when early voting in New York begins. Absentee ballots are due 10 days before the election.

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