College students: What’s your plan of action for voting in the presidential election on November 6? Certainly for those of you who attend a campus near your home, you may have the time and mobility to get to your polling place on Election Day. However, many of you attend college at a significant distance from your hometown and do not have the schedule nor the means to head home and drop by your polling place on a Tuesday—a day that falls in the middle of the week when classes take place. Even those of you who are commuter students and living at home may find that your class and work schedule interferes with heading to the polls. This obstacle of voting in person on November 6, however, should not keep you from participating in this year’s election. In a year when voter enthusiasm has waned, particularly among 18-24 year olds, it’s imperative that the youth vote is represented and that college students participate in their civic duty. Here are two options for those of you who find the date and location of voting inconvenient.
Early Voting: Registered voters can cast a ballot prior to Election Day without having to provide a reason for wanting to vote early. The ballot can be cast in person only and at a location established by the election authority. You can look up locations for early voting in your jurisdiction here. Early Voting starts October 22 and will go through November 3. This option is useful for local students whose class and/or work schedule on Tuesdays would make it difficult to vote on Election Day.
Absentee Voting: Registered voters can cast their ballot prior to Election Day after having requested an absentee ballot through the mail or in person. No reason is required to vote absentee. To obtain an application for an absentee ballot, click here. The application must be filled out and returned to the election authority for the jurisdiction in which you are registered. Once the application is submitted, a ballot will be mailed to you for you to fill out and return. All requests by mail must be received by November 1; all in-person requests must be made by November 5. This option is useful for students away at college as well as for local students whose class and/or work schedule on Tuesdays would make it difficult to vote on Election Day.