Those who cannot go to their polling places in person on Election Day have other options, one of which is to vote by absentee ballot.

An absentee ballot is a paper ballot sent to you by mail. You can mark and cast the ballot by returning it your county election office. To vote by absentee ballot, you must be registered to vote.

Unfortunately, if you have not registered by now, you are not eligible to vote in the Nov. 6 general election, because the deadline to register was on Tuesday. Voter registration will reopen on Nov. 7 for the 2019 spring primary elections.

Too often, those who are gone from home on Election Day, either for business or for some other reason, just won’t vote. It’s not that they don’t want to vote, but they feel that it is too much of a hassle to go through the process of applying for an absentee ballot, filling it out then returning it in time to be counted.

Anyway, they reason, what’s the big deal? My one vote won’t matter. There have been countless instances where one vote has mattered, but, beyond the outcome of an election, we all should be motivated by principle, by the understanding that our duty is to vote.

This right to make a choice about who governs us is too often taken for granted. It is a process that has been defended by the men and women of our armed forces over the years to make sure that this and other of our inalienable rights remain intact.

People who may vote by absentee ballot include: college students, those whose work or vacations take them away from the municipality in which they live, those with a physical disability or illness that prevents them from going to their polling place, members of the military and those who have a conflict due to the celebration of a religious holiday.

You need to apply for an absentee ballot. In addition to filling in various identification and residency questions, you need to mark the reason why you cannot go to the polling place on Election Day.

To apply, you can do so in person at the county election office, complete an official form or send a signed letter to your county election office that includes the same information as on the official form.

If your application is accepted, you will receive notification from your county’s election office.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Oct. 30, a week before the Nov. 6 election. The deadline does not apply to the members of the military.

You can choose another person to help you vote an absentee or alternative ballot. You and your assistant must print, complete and return several forms to the County Election Office.

The deadlines to return your ballot vary: For most elections, the deadline to return your absentee ballot is 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day. For presidential elections, ballots received by 8 p.m. on Election Day will be counted for the offices of president and vice president. Military and overseas voters must have their ballots postmarked by 11:59 p.m. the day before Election Day. The ballot must arrive no later than one week after Election Day.

So this means that your county office must receive your absentee ballot this year by Nov. 2. If you are a military or an overseas voter, you must submit your ballot by Nov. 5. It must be received by your county office no later than Nov. 13.

To apply for an absentee ballot, you must provide a driver’s license if you have one or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you do not have a driver’s license or Social Security number, you must submit a copy of an acceptable photo ID. You are able to provide this information to your county Elections Board by phone, email or mail.

The county election office must verify your identification before your ballot can be validated.

Here are the contact people in the elections bureaus of the counties in the Times News circulation area:

Lisa Dart, Carbon, 570-325-4801; Frannie Brennan, Schuylkill, 570-628-1467; Sara May-Silfee, Monroe, 570-517-3165; Dee Rumsey, Northampton, 610-829-6260; Timothy Benyo, Lehigh, 610-782-3198.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com