Election Day is coming up soon, and for many college students, it might be their first time voting. When the time comes and you are eligible to vote, some questions may arise: How does the process work? When exactly do you vote (and for what positions)? How can you be sure that you’re making the best and most well-informed decision? Turns out there are lots of resources available to student voters that can help as you navigate voting for the first time.
When it comes to elections, people sometimes immediately think of a presidential election. However, midterm, state, and local elections are just as important as they impact your life and time on campus even more directly. So, make sure you get out to vote for every election you can and grab that awesome and cute “I Voted” sticker.
Check out these five resources you can use to be a well-informed voter for the upcoming elections as a college student voting for the first time.
- Vote.gov and USA.gov
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The first step into being an informed voter is making sure you are registered to vote. Use the website vote.gov to help you register to vote, find registration deadlines, check your registration, change your registration after you have moved or change your political party affiliation, and learn how to get a voter registration card.
Once you’re registered, check out usa.gov through vote.gov for additional resources that will help you understand how the voting process works and methods to make sure you are making the most informed decision come Election Day. Through usa.gov, you can learn more about absentee ballots, the different election processes (presidential, midterm, etc.), voter ID requirements, finding your polling place, looking up state and local election offices, voting and election laws, results from past elections, and so much more useful information. These are official websites of the U.S. government because they end in .gov, so you know they’re secure.
- Websites for individual candidates
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If applicable, see if any of the candidates that are running for a certain position have a website. This site usually allows you to see their campaign beyond their political party, such as what issues they are specifically looking to focus on and what exactly they want to change or implement if elected. Essentially, a candidate’s website can show you all the reasons you may want to vote for this person and if you support their ideas.
- On-campus resources
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If you’re interested in learning more about politics before voting for the first time, look into political science clubs and organizations on your college campus. Some colleges have clubs geared towards a specific political party or specific political issues, as well as clubs for political science major.
A club like the latter might host events or educational forums on how to approach voting for the first time (since it’s a common question among college students) and additional resources for you to get more information.
Another option is to consider reaching out to a political science professor on campus. Since they’re an expert on how our government and political system functions, they may be able to guide you through the process, answer any of your specific questions that you aren’t finding answers to, or provide you with additional resources to help you.
- Candidate debates
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Watching candidates debate in real time can give you a good idea of how they’ll lead and act under pressure. It also gives candidates the opportunity to clarify their stances and weigh in on current events, while being challenged by their opponents to be clear and transparent.
- Ballotpedia.com and Ballotready.com
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Sites like these provide updated information about election dates, candidates on the ballot, and more.