The Presidential election is a few short weeks away. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to make your voice heard! It will take place on Tuesday, November 8th! Until then, there are a lot of ways to get involved in the 2016 election on campus, regardless of your political affiliation.
Register!
Make sure you are registered to vote before the big day. You can check your registration status at https://ova.elections.il.gov/RegistrationLookup.aspx. If you aren’t registered, you can still register in person through the grace period at the Champaign County Clerk’s office at 1776 East Washington Street in Urbana. You will need two valid forms of identification. One of those forms must show your current residence address. A list of accepted documents can be viewed on the Champaign County Clerk’s website. You can register to vote until 7 p.m. on Election Day when the polls close.
Vote!
Once you register, you will be assigned a polling place depending on your precinct. The polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on November 8th. On campus voting locations include the Cohen Hillel Center, University YMCA, the ARC, Illini Union, Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall and Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Hall.
Educate Yourself!
No matter who you vote for, it is important to be knowledgeable and informed on all the candidates and their stances. One great non biased resource is ISideWith.com, which offers quizzes to match your stances with candidate’s stances. You can also see every candidate’s stances on various topics and sub-issues. 270toWin.com is another good website that visually forecasts the election and electoral votes based on recent polls. They also post election news and updates. FiveThirtyEight.com is another great resource for election news.
Join a RSO!
If you’re interested in politics, there are several registered student organizations you can get involved with, including Illini Republicans, Illini Democrats, Illini Libertarians, Illini for Hillary and Illini Greens. The Illinois Student Senate sponsors many events such as debate watch parties.
Volunteer!
Local political party offices are always looking for volunteers. You can volunteer your time to the Champaign County Democrats or the Champaign County Republican Party by filling out the forms listed on their website. There are a lot of ways to get involved including calling voters, helping with fundraising, distributing campaign information and general office work. Both organizations also offer meetings and social events.
Photo Credit:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/04/07/force-young-people-to-vote-th…