Today is the last day for the Centre County Board of Elections to receive completed absentee ballots.

The Centre County Office of Elections and Voter Registration will accept until 5 p.m. today voted absentee ballots and applications for absentee ballots for people who are faced with an emergency, said assistant director Wanda Hockenberry.

An emergency could be if someone is ill and has to go to the hospital and plans to be there over the weekend, she said.

As of yesterday, about 4,085 people countywide have registered to vote by absentee ballot, Hockenberry said. She could not say how many of those were students.

"[In the last election,] Centre County didn't quite have 3,000 registered; now it's almost reached 4,100," she said.

There has also been an increase in other counties, from what she has heard, Hockenberry added.

Greg Jara (senior-English) said instead of registering for an absentee ballot, he registered to vote in State College.

"I actually registered up here for the time being," he said. "It was getting a little late, and it was a matter of convenience."

Adam Brewer (junior-industrial health and safety) said he already sent his absentee ballot last week to Allegheny County. He said he is not worried about it getting back in time.

"I trust the post office," he said.

Leah Roberson (freshman-engineering), who is from New York, sent in her absentee ballot application and hopes to get it back in time.

"I didn't find it troublesome, but I guess it would be a little inconvenient," she said.

Hockenberry said the Centre County voter registration office sends out the absentee ballots within 24 hours of receiving the applications.

"We send them back the same day or the same morning and even make extra trips to the post office," she said.

There have been instances in which students sent their absentee ballot applications to the Centre County office when they were not registered here, Hokenberry said. In such cases the Centre County office forwards them to the right county, she added.

Jara said he registered in this area because someone at a registration table told him it would be easier.

"I wanted to send in an absentee ballot, but I was under the impression that it didn't matter," he said.

Roberson said voting by absentee ballot does not feel the same as voting on Election Day.

"I'd actually rather vote on Election Day," she said. "It ruins the suspense of actually going in and voting."

Brewer said he did not find voting by absentee ballot complicated.

"I think it's pretty easy and convenient rather than having to drive for two or three hours," he said.