Absentee Ballots

How to Vote

The process for voting by absentee ballot includes qualifying, applying, obtaining the ballot, and returning the ballot.

  • Online: Visit the Public Portal for Online Absentee Ballot Application. (Portal opens 45 days before election).
  • Mail: Print out the Application for Absentee Ballot available on the Office of the Secretary of the State Website, and mail it to:

    Cheshire Town Clerk
    84 South Main Street
    Cheshire, CT 06410
  • In Person: You may also come in person to the Town Clerk's Office to fill out your application and immediately receive your ballot to vote within 31 days of the election. If you'd like an application mailed to you, please call our office at 203-271-6601.

Qualify for an Absentee Ballot

To qualify for voting by absentee ballot, an elector must be unable to appear at the required polling place during all hours of voting for one of the following reasons:

  • Active service in the Armed Forces of the United States
  • Absence from the town of residence
  • Sickness
  • Religious tenets forbid secular activity on the day of the election, primary, or referendum
  • Duties as an election or referendum official at a polling place other than his/her own during all of the hours of voting
  • Physical disability
  • Permanent absentee ballot status for people with disabilities is available, but applications must be accompanied by an explanatory letter from a physician

The actual absentee ballots for each election are available one month prior to the election, or three weeks before a referendum. These ballots can be picked up at the Town Clerk's office by the applicant or can be mailed directly to the applicant. Please note that anyone may pick up an absentee ballot application for an elector, however, the ballot itself can only be handed in person to the elector named on the application or mailed directly to the applicant.

Ballots may be returned to the Town Clerk's office by the applicant in person, by mail, or in the ballot box located at Town Hall. An immediate family member may return a ballot but must show identification and sign the sealed ballot envelope in front of a staff member. All ballots must be returned by 8 pm on the day of the election or referendum to be counted.

UPCOMING ELECTION: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 for the following State Offices: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Comptroller; Representative in Congress, State Senator, State Representative, Judge of Probate, and Registrar of Voters.

Absentee Ballots will be available 31 days before the election beginning on October 2, 2026.

Request Video Footage of Ballot Box Form here. Submit requests to the Town Clerk.