Also, be sure to send in your completed voter registration to the address listed for your state as soon as you have filled it out. I live in MI and would like to register where my family lives. However, MI is the only state that has a law that states that if someone is registering to vote for the first time, they must vote in person for the first election in which they are voting. This means that you cannot order an absentee ballot if you are voting for the first time. I know I won't be available to vote on voting day.
Every state has their own rules and regulations in regards to the request of an absentee ballot.
Please call up the Secretary of State in your home state and inquire there. For Ann Arbor, a call to them is sufficient to request an absentee ballot, but for other cities, they need your request in writing. Public Act 118 is a law that was passed by the Michigan Senate, that began to take effect as of April 1, 2000. It states that MI residents must have the same address on both their drivers' licenses and voter registration forms. I am from out of state.