As Election Day gets closer, many Americans are getting ready to head to the polls and cast their vote.  With many college students attending school away from home, the ability to vote seems out of reach.

These college students do, however, have a chance to cast their votes, even if they are unable to vote in the parish/county in which they are registered to vote.

For Louisiana residents, the processes for absentee voting and early voting are very simple.

The easiest process for college students is early voting in your home parish. Anyone can vote early and it doesn’t require any special registration.

Students just have to be registered to vote in their home parish and show up to the designated polling places on early voting days. 

The dates for early voting begin on Oct. 23 and end on Oct. 30. The voting locations will be open from 8:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. A complete list of early voting dates and early voting locations by parish can be found at

http://www.sos.la.gov/tabid/168/default.aspx. 

Along with early voting, students who live away from home have the option of absentee voting.  This process, while slightly more complicated than early voting, is just as effective. Students looking to turn in an absentee vote may register online or can download an application to mail into their home parish registrar of voters. 

Once registered, the registrar of voters will mail you a ballot which you will need to mail back with a copy of your license and student ID.

Requests for absentee voting by mail can be turned in any time up until 4:30 p.m. on the 4th day before Election Day and the deadline for returning absentee ballots is 4:30 p.m. the day before Election Day. 

All information on absentee voting can be found on the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website at

http://www.sos.la.gov/tabid/169/default.aspx.