Sari Gordon has already voted.

The advertising freshman sent her absentee ballot to West Bloomfield on Thursday.

"I wanted to vote for people in my community," she said.

Now, it's crunch time for other student voters who are registered in their hometown and won't be able to make it back for Election Day.

A request for a ballot to be mailed to applicants must be submitted by 2 p.m. on Saturday. Ballots that are mailed to voters should be returned to the clerk's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

But with that deadline so close, voters, even those engaging in their first election, instead can visit their city or township clerk's office through 4 p.m. on Monday to vote using an absentee ballot.

State officials have determined that first-time voters can vote absentee if they registered in person or if they fill out the absentee ballot application at their local clerk's office.

"So if students are returning home this weekend, they just only need to stop by their local clerk's office," said Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.

Land's office has been working hard to inform voters that absentee ballots are a good way to vote, even for first-time voters, Chesney said.

But some students have registered in East Lansing so they wouldn't have to go through the absentee process.

"I just really don't like mailing in my vote," anthropology junior Paige Simms said. "It seems unreliable."

East Lansing Deputy City Manager Jean Golden said people can avoid confusion by checking where they are registered in advance at www.michigan.gov/vote.

Students should also bring their ID.