Travel Nursing

Voting as a Travel Nurse

Working as a travel nurse has its own set of challenges in addition to the constant moving and onboarding for hospitals. Travel nurses have learned to navigate their course, but occasionally questions arise about logistical obstacles. One common question is: How do travel nurses vote? Voting as a travel nurse is easier than you think.

Voting as a Travel Nurse

Despite being away from their home state, travel nurses can still vote. Don’t let being away from home deter you from casting your important vote. Travel nurses will vote in the state where they claim a permanent tax home, or permanent residence. Travel nurses are not eligible to vote in states where they are just working and are not residents.  Many states offer online voter registration, or you can request that the county clerk mail a registration form to your mailing address. Be sure to check your home state’s deadline for voter registration for both local, state, and federal elections.

How to Vote as a Travel Nurse

  1. Register to vote by your HOME STATE deadline for local and federal elections. A travel nurse will vote in their state of permanent residence, not the state where they are working, unless they happen to be the same. 
  2. Request an absentee ballot by state deadline. You CAN NOT receive a ballot if you are not registered to vote.
  3. Keep an eye out in the mail for your ballot and mail it back ASAP with your vote.

Once a travel nurse is registered, they can then request an absentee ballot be forwarded to their residence while on assignment. EVERY state offers mail-in absentee ballots. Some states will require that you fill out an additional form to request an absentee ballot. Again, you MUST be registered to vote to receive an absentee ballot. Details on absentee voting can be found at U.S. Vote Foundation and at USA.gov

If you are unsure if you are registered to vote, you can use the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) voter’s tool to check your registration status, party affiliation, address on record and other voter details.

Getting Involved as a Nurse

The ANA has many ways to get involved and ensure nurses’ voices are heard. Nurses need a voice in the political arena to spark and spearhead change in our healthcare system. The ANA has opportunities for fundraising, volunteering at a polling center, working at a phone bank, plus much more. They also offer advice on how to connect with your state’s leadership.

rachel-nurseflygmail-com
Rachel Norton BSN, RN

Rachel Norton became an RN in 2007 and has been part of the Vivian team since 2019. She has always worked in critical care, and spent the first 12 years of her career working in a surgical neuroscience trauma ICU. She's also worked as a flight nurse, started travel nursing in 2010 and continued working in the ICU until joining Vivian full-time in 2022. As a user researcher, Rachel advocates for healthcare workers to help bridge the gap between employee and employer expectations.

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