Though the 2008 general election is still more than a month away, people voting by way of absentee ballots will be able to start doing so next week.

Freeborn County Chief Deputy Auditor-Treasurer Pat Martinson said already there have been 550 requests for absentee ballots in the county, but she expects somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 by the time of the election.

Martinson said presidential elections tend to have higher turnout. On top of that this year are the Albert Lea City Council and mayoral races and the Freeborn County Board of Commissioner races.

During the last presidential election in 2004 there were 1,509 absentee ballots, she said.

Absentee voting opens for the general election Oct. 3, and people can apply to vote that way by either stopping by the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office at the Freeborn County Government Center or requesting an application online, via phone or via fax.

In Minnesota, people can vote absentee if they will be absent from the precinct the day of the election, if they have an illness or disability that disables them from coming out to vote or if they are serving as an election judge in another precinct.

Another reason people can vote via absentee is because of a religious discipline, religious holiday or observance. The last reason is if there is an eligible emergency declared by the governor or a quarantine declared by the federal or state government.

Martinson said a large number of people who vote with absentee ballots in this area are absent from the precinct and are in other states at the time of the actual election. There’s also a fair share of college students and others with disabilities that vote via absentee.

Absentee ballots are accepted through 5 p.m. Nov. 3, the day before the election, she said.

Anything that’s in the mail will be delivered to the polling places the day of the election, and then after the last mail delivery on that day, the ballots are opened and processed at the precincts.

Martinson wanted to make sure people understood that they have to first apply for an application ballot before they can actually vote.

They can apply by sending a fax or an e-mail including their name, date and birthdate, and a ballot will be mailed out to them. They can fill out an application at the local Auditor-Treasurer Web site at www.co.freeborn.mn.us/auditor/default.aspx.

And people can also apply in person at the office. People who apply in person can also vote there if they choose to or they can mail their ballot in.

All absentee ballots have to be witnessed by another registered voter, a notary public or person with the authority to administer oaths.

The Auditor-Treasurer’s Office will be open every weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Nov. 1, which is a Saturday, there will be extended hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accept absentee ballots.

If people have questions, they can call 377-5121.