ElderWeb

The Federal Election Commission has created a National Voter Registration Form which is accepted by most states for registration of voters. This form could be used by organizations serving older adults who wish to provide voter registration capabilities, or by individuals who have transportation or mobility problems which make it hard to get out of the house. By using this form to register and then applying for absentee ballots, homebound seniors would be able to continue to participate in the election process by doing everything by mail.

The National Voter Registration Form is accepted by all states, except: North Dakota does not have voter registration; Wyoming, by State law, cannot accept the National Form; Mississippi will accept the Form to register individuals for Federal elections only; and New Hampshire town and city clerks will accept the National Form only as a request for their own mail-in voter registration form.

Unfortunately, there is no national program for absentee ballots. However, the Federal Voting Assistance Program provides a list of state election Web sites, most of which provide contact name and phone numbers or other information about absentee ballots.