With many people here being active duty service members or their spouses, there are different options for how they can exercise their right to vote.

The most common way to vote is to go to the designated voting area in which you are assigned if you are registered to vote in the area where you currently reside. But since most active duty families are away from their place of registration, many choose to vote by utilizing absentee voting.

An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station. Numerous methods have been devised to facilitate this. Increasing the ease of access to absentee ballots is seen by many as a way to improve voter turnout.

In order to use an absentee ballot, a voter must meet at least one of the following requirements: he must be 60 years of age or older, expect to be absent from their city or town for the entire time the polls are in, have been assigned to work as a precinct inspector in a precinct other than where they are registered, or unable to attend the polls because of religious beliefs.

Many of the residents here on base fall into the ‘‘expect to be absent from their city or town” category.

If any of these situations exist, you can obtain an absentee ballot by writing your city or township clerk. You must state the reason you need an absentee ballot, and you must sign the request. A pre-printed absentee ballot application form is available from your city or township clerk upon request.

If you have received a voter’s identification card, your polling place is shown on the card. If you have not received this card, contact your local clerk office to confirm your registration status.

You can also contact the Web site http:⁄⁄www.sospublius.org⁄ for information on where to vote. With just your name and city you can find your assigned polling location.