Can I Vote by Absentee Ballot if I'm Over 65?

Jane - Even as a young person, I was interested in politics and the voting process. I got that from my parents who were born elsewhere and always talked about how important it was to fulfill your duty as a citizen to be informed and to vote. So I remember how excited I felt when I was able to vote for the first time in the 1964 presidential election.   

Dave – My parents and siblings were always discussing (arguing) politics at home and none of them would skip a vote, so it was just natural for me to start when I became eligible in the 1960 election. I do remember that day very well.

Jane - Yes, I doubt I ever missed one.

Dave – Yes to most. But I can remember getting home too late from work to get to the polling place, and also missing when I was traveling. I never knew or thought about voting absentee.

Jane - Always in person.

Dave – In person.

Jane – Of course I would vote by mail if I was physically unable to do so in person.  During Covid it was great that we could utilize the mail system. But I will vote in person as long as I can because I value the experience of voting so much. 

Dave – I don’t feel committed to in-person voting as much as Jane does. In our district the process goes pretty fast, but if something changes and the lines get long I would definitely switch to absentee. Actually, I might switch anyway just for convenience.

Jane - Definitely. I don’t know the workings of the absentee process so I don’t think I would have the same confidence that my vote counted as when I see the ballot going into the machine. 

Dave – No.  I feel pretty confident that the process works.

Jane -  I haven’t used any tracking or remote systems, but I feel the difference is in getting information.  We used to get a sample ballot in the mail and that was pretty much it, but now there’s so much more information available, particularly online with sites such as U.S. Vote Foundation, as well as others, including state and county sites.

Dave – Yes, there is more information. But there is also much more disinformation, so it’s more important than ever to get election information from a reputable source.

Jane - I use our local papers. I watch PBS for U.S. news, and BBC for international news, doing that for many years. 

Dave – My sources have been the same for a long time – New York Times in print and Washington Post online.

Jane - Sadly, an emphatic yes.  We now have to pretty much avoid political discussions with anyone who might differ from our views because of how heated they become, like the Viet Nam days when there was no middle ground in any discussion.

Dave – Polite conversations about elections???

Jane – Between travel, second homes and physical issues, I think there are a lot of elections missed. Hopefully some use mail but I don’t know.
 
Dave – I think probably most of the people we know keep the same voting habits, except for the issues that Jane mentioned.

Jane - I’ve always tried to teach my kids and grandkids that voting is a privilege and a duty. I used to take my children and grandchildren along when I voted to try to ingrain the habit. I would encourage everyone to do that.

Dave – It would be great if websites such as this could be used in schools so that children learn about all aspects of voting. Then by voting age they would be comfortable with the process and see how easy it is to get answers, and so be more likely to be lifetime voters.