How to request an absentee ballot in Dutchess County for the 2024 election

(This story has been updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy. Any registered voter can request an absentee ballot to vote in the upcoming general election.)

Election Day is just weeks away. If you're in need of an absentee ballot and have not started the process, now is the time to begin.

The first step is to ensure you're a registered voter in New York .

There are a few other requirements necessary to cast an absentee ballot, according to the New York State Board of Elections , and of course, the voting process looks a bit different. Learn more on how to get your absentee ballot, if you qualify for one and how to cast your vote.

More: Here's where your Dutchess County polling place is for Election Day 2024

Who qualifies to vote absentee in New York?

To vote absentee, you must qualify for one of a specific set of reasons. Below are the qualifications as per the New York State Board of Elections:

1. You are absent from your county on Election Day.
2. You are unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability.
3. You are unable to appear due to being the primary caregiver of one or more people who are ill or physically disabled.
4. You are a resident or patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital.
5. You are in jail or prison for any reason other than a felony conviction. This includes anyone who is awaiting grand jury action, awaiting trial or serving a sentence for a misdemeanor.

If you fall into one of the categories listed above, there are a few ways you can apply for the absentee ballot.

How to apply for an absentee ballot to vote in 2024

The first method is online, via the absentee ballot application portal at ballotapplication.elections.ny.gov/home/absentee .

You can also send your application through the mail to the Dutchess County Board of Elections. Applications by mail requesting to receive an absentee ballot must be sent 10 days prior to the election. Then your absentee ballot will be sent immediately after your completed and signed application is received and processed by the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

You may also go in person to the Dutchess County Board of Elections. If you plan to go in person to the Dutchess County Board of Elections to give your application and receive your absentee ballot, this must be done no later than a day before the election.

Someone else can also be designated to deliver your application in person to the Dutchess County Board of Elections and receive your ballot. Only that person designated on your application can pick up or deliver your ballot if you are unable to do so.

There is also a PDF English and Spanish version of the New York State Absentee Ballot Application Form:

If you have a print disability — a disability that impedes your ability to read or write effectively, such as blindness, low vision, dyslexia, dysgraphia, learning disabilities and other physical disabilities — you may apply through the accessible ballot application portal at ballotapplication.elections.ny.gov/home/accessible .

However, if you do not want to vote using the accessible ballot system, in-person voting using an accessible Ballot Marking Device (BMD) during early voting or on Election Day is still available to voters with a disability.

Those who are permanently ill or disabled have the right to receive an absentee ballot for all future elections, without reapplication.

To do this, file an application with the Dutchess County Board of Elections to state you have a permanent illness or disability. Then you will continue to receive absentee ballots for every election until you are no longer registered to vote.

Casting your vote via absentee ballot

After going through the application process, follow the instructions on the absentee ballot and mark it according to your choices.

If you are planning to mail your ballot in once completely filled out, fold the ballot, place it inside the security envelope, sign and date the envelope and seal it. This envelope will have a place for your signature.

Then, place inside the pre-paid return envelope, which came with your absentee ballot, and seal it. This envelope will have the return address of the Dutchess County Board of Elections on the outside and should have a logo that reads "Official Election Mail." No additional postage is required on this envelope.

Take mailing time into consideration as well, the state Board of Elections recommends voters send their ballots to their county's board seven days in advance, to ensure there's enough time for the board to receive them.

If you mail your ballot on Election Day, voters must be aware of posted collection times on collection boxes and at the U.S. Postal Service’s retail facilities. Ballots submitted after the last posted collection time will not be postmarked until the following business day.

Ensure the absentee ballot receives a postmark no later than Nov. 5; it must be received by the Dutchess County Board of Elections no later than Nov. 12.

You may also return your absentee ballot in the following ways for the November election:

1. Bring the absentee ballot to the Dutchess County Board of Elections Office no later than Nov. 5 by 9 p.m.
2. Bring the absentee ballot to an early voting poll site in your county between Oct. 26 and Nov. 3.
3. Bring the absentee ballot to a poll site in your county on Nov. 5 by 9 p.m.

Track your absentee ballot via the Board of Elections' Poll Site Search, Voter Registration and Mail Ballot Tracker available at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/ .

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: How to request an absentee ballot in Dutchess County for the 2024 election