Civic slackers better get their acts together -- the deadline for submitting an application for an absentee ballot to vote in the Nov. 7 elections is at 5 p.m. today.

For students who plan to vote absentee, the deadline for returning the completed ballot to the election office is 5 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Since Centre County's deadline for registering to vote in this year's general election was in the first week of October, for many students an absentee ballot represents the only option left for having their voices heard in the upcoming election.

Joyce E. McKinley, director of Centre County Elections and Voter Registration, said that applications for absentee ballots submitted by the deadline will be processed as soon as they are received.

For those who are registered at home, time left to complete an application for an absentee ballot and return it to their county's voter registration office is quickly running out.

The application must be received, not postmarked, by the deadline, McKinley said.

As long as the application for an absentee ballot is received on time, "[the ballot] would be mailed out that day," McKinley said.

Applications for absentee ballots can be obtained by contacting the election office of the individual voter's county. They can also be obtained through the Web site votespa.com.

Eric Plutzer, a Penn State professor of political science, said that historically, and not just in the most recent generation, college student turnout in elections "is very low compared to other citizens."

Plutzer said for students who are registered to vote, it is more common for them to register in their home counties than in county where they attend school.

However, it is the most common for students just not to register at all, he said.

In addition, those registered in their home county who cannot go home to vote usually do not take advantage of absentee ballots, Plutzer said.

He said if students did vote absentee in greater numbers, the impact could be great.

"Absentee ballots created the margin of victory in the 2000 election. If not for absentee ballots, Gore would have won," he said.

Some students agreed that not enough of their college-aged peers participated in the last election.

"It takes effort and they're apathetic," Ryan Wendt (freshman-physics) said.

Eliot Schmidt, press secretary for the College Democrats, said if it is possible, his organization wants students to register and vote in Centre County.

"It's easier to vote here," he said. "If [students] vote here, that will send a message to legislators and force them to give more attention to students."

Chairman of the College Republicans Todd Taylor said his organization wants students to vote where and how they feel the most comfortable.

"If there's a hot race in a non-Centre County district, they should vote there," Taylor said.

He said that absentee ballots are "very big with Republican strategy because [Republicans] have a 6 to 1 advantage in Pennsylvania."

Different strategies taken by each party in recruiting absentee ballot voters is shown locally -- amon the Centre County Democrats and Republicans.

"We expect the governor and senate races to be very tight. Absentee ballots can make all the difference," Glenn Thompson, Republican county chairman, said.

"The Republican Party is pretty aggressive with the absentee ballot program, and we have been very successful with it."

The Centre County Democrats have a different approach, County Chairman Dianne Gregg said.

"Certainly we want everyone to vote," she said. "Am I going out and chasing them down? No."