Voting Procedure Question

There is a small chance that I might be out of state on business on Election Day, but I won't know until the weekend right before the election (October 30-31). I would say it's a 10 percent chance, at best, but a chance nonetheless.

Does this mean I should apply for an absentee ballot ahead of time to be safe? I assume it's a logistical impossibility to order an absentee ballot on November 1. If I apply for an absentee ballot, does that mean I have to use it, even if I'm still in town?

Sorry for the naive questions -- this is only my second time voting and I'm not sure of the procedure.

If there is any chance whatsoever err on the safe side and go with an absentee ballot.

That said, I was running for office in 1990 and ended up hospitalized two days before the election. It was no problem in wyoming getting a ballot in the hospital so I could vote.

It would be better to vote early than to not vote at all.

sounds like your best bet, if it's allowed in your state. According to today's Wall Street Journal, 29 states now freely allow early voting without having to give an excuse to a bureaucrat, as you had to in many places to get an absentee ballot years ago. For example, voting starts in Iowa NEXT WEEK, for 40 days right up through November 2nd.

I don't know about other voting info sites, but a Republican PAC has a truly well-done page with really extensive voting info by zipcode, at http://www.ezvote.org. All you have to do is enter your zipcode to get the most extensive voting info I've ever seen, including specific information about early voting in your neighborhood.

You don't have to register to use the zipcode page for voter info. But if you want to go deeper into the site, and use business PAC databases on issues and candidates, be sure to give a phony address phone number and name. Otherwise you may get dozens of phone calls from the religious right.