Absentee voting has already started for the Nov. 4 election, and more than 250 applications requests have been filled, officials said.

The voting, which began Sept. 25, will last until Oct. 30, said Absentee Election Manager Audrey Milton. To vote with an absentee ballot, registered voters first have to send an application to the courthouse.

Applications can be requested over the phone or picked up at the Pike County Courthouse.

Milton said those who are eligible to vote with an absentee ballot are people who will be unable to attend the Nov. 4 election at the polls. “If you are going to be out of the county or state on Election Day, then you can apply for a ballot, and if you are military you can vote absentee,” Milton said.

Voters with a physical illness, those who work hours that coincide with voting times, those who are election poll workers at a polling place other than their own or those who are enrolled in college away from home, also are eligible to vote absentee.

Although applications can be accepted until Oct. 30, Milton said the sooner residents can cast their votes, the better.

“It’s better to go ahead and do it early than wait till the last minute,” Milton said. After applications are sent in, votes have until Nov. 3 to be postmarked to count for the election.