Questions about Absentee Voting?
Q1:I can’t vote in person on August 9. What are my options?
Q2:In a nutshell, how do I vote by absentee ballot?
Q3: How do I get an application for an absentee ballot?
Q6: What do I do if I am in a foreign country and won’t be able to return home in time to vote?
Q7: What are the options for how I submit my absentee application?
Q8: When will I receive my absentee ballot?
Q9: How do I complete my absentee ballot?
Q10: How do I submit my absentee ballot?
Q11: Where can I find more information?
Here are some answers!
A1: If you can’t vote in person, you can use an absentee ballot. You can no longer use Covid-19 as an excuse for an absentee ballot, so you must fit one of the qualifying categories.
A2: It’s a two-step process: First, you submit an application requesting an absentee ballot. Then an absentee ballot will be mailed to you. Complete it and submit as instructed.
A3: We recommend you wait for the application to be mailed to you from the CT Secretary of State’s Office in mid-September. Your application will come with a bar code that makes processing it faster, so you will get your ballot faster.
A4: Yes. In these cases, as quickly as possible, the League recommends you print an application and mail to the Town Clerk, being especially careful to print your forwarding address.
A5: Send an email – with the subject line ”Change of Address” – to the Town Clerk’s office here: townclerk@stamfordct.gov
A6: To get an absentee ballot from abroad you have to submit what’s called an FPCA. The forms are here: https://www.fvap.gov. You then submit your absentee application electronically to townclerk@stamfordct.gov
A7: You can mail it to: Town Clerk-AB Application, 888 Washington Blvd. 1st Floor, Stamford, CT 06901. Or you can put it in a drop box. Stamford has four drop boxes currently and two more on order.
- Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd. – in the parking garage, first floor
- Harry Bennett Library, 115 Vine Rd. – by the book return.
- Yearwood Center, 90 Fairfield Avenue
- Lathon Wilder Community Center, 34 Woodland Avenue
A8: The ballots will start being mailed October 3, 2020. If you do not receive your ballot by mid-October, contact the Town Clerk’s office at townclerk@stamfordct.gov
A9: When you receive the absentee ballot follow the instructions exactly:
- Mark your ballot carefully. This is your only ballot and if you make a mistake, you cannot request another one. Fill in the ovals completely.
- Insert your completed ballot into the inner envelope, then seal it and sign your name in the space with the “X” on the outside of the inner envelope. This is very important. If the inner envelope is not signed, the ballot cannot be counted.
- Place the inner envelope inside the outer mailing envelope. Make sure the address showing through the window is the Town Clerk’s office – not your address. If you make a mistake and mail the ballot back to yourself, you may not have time to resubmit it.
- Submit your ballot following the directions. For the League’s recommendation, see the answer to “How do I submit my absentee ballot?”
- Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd. – in the parking garage, first floor
- Harry Bennett Library, 115 Vine Rd. – by the book return.
- Yearwood Center, 90 Fairfield Avenue
- Lathon Wilder Community Center, 34 Woodland Avenue
A10: The League recommends that you place your absentee ballot it in one of the four drop boxes before the last pick-up at 8 PM on Election Day, November 3. Stamford has four drop boxes on order located at:
A11: The League recommends that you go to the CT Secretary of the State’s website at https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Voter-Information/Absentee-Voting
©League of Women Voters of Stamford
Last edited June 25, 2022