The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DESU chapter.
With just under two months until the presidential election (Tuesday, Nov. 5), now is the time to make sure you are able to vote and know how to as a college student. Traditionally, voting takes place on Election Day in a school or community center in your neighborhood, but for the 31% of college students who attend school out of state, going back home to vote can be challenging or almost impossible.
The first step for voting is to make sure you are registered to vote! Oct. 12, 2024, is the last day to register to vote before the Nov. 5 election. You can register to vote If you are 18, or will be 18 on the day of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election. Students can register to vote by mail (not including New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming), in person at your state or local election office, or online, depending on your state. You may also check your registration status here.
Now that registration is out the way, voting out of state is perfectly do able through a process called absentee voting. You probably heard of absentee voting and mail-in ballots before during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was popularized, but absentee voting for the general public has actually been around since the 1980s.
Mail-in ballots allow voters to vote from home or school instead of going to a local polling place by filling out a ballot sent to your address and mailing it back before your state’s deadline. Requesting a mail-in ballot is not the same for every state. Some states, such as Arizona, Florida, and Georgia, allow any registered voter to apply for an absentee ballot. California and Colorado automatically mail ballots to all registered voters, while states like Indiana or Kentucky have more restrictions on who is eligible for a mail ballot. Students can check on Vote.org to learn more about their state’s deadlines for requesting a mail-in ballot when the deadline is for receiving them, their state’s rules on who is eligible for mail-in ballots, and more.
The faster you get everything done, the better. While requesting ballots is not the same date across the nation, it is generally around late October/early November. Filling everything out ASAP gives you and local officials time to sort everything out just in case there are any problems with your vote.
Every vote matters, and with absentee voting, you have one less thing to worry about in college.