In the 2014 midterm elections, only 19% of college students eligible to vote casted ballots. By the 2018 midterms, that number more than doubled as it rose to 40%. Clearly, efforts by universities and their student groups to increase civic engagement have made their mark on college-age populations. However, the fact that the amount of college students who do not exercise their right to vote outnumber those who do is unfortunate. A major contributing factor to this is laziness.
While it’s certainly true that humans––especially college students––do not particularly enjoy going out of their way to do things, this issue is further compounded by the lack of knowledge surrounding how to vote when you live out of state for college. It can seem like a burden on top of tests, papers, and college life in general, but participating in the US democratic process is important!
First, if you are not already registered to vote, do so as soon as possible. It’s an easy process and all you have to do is Google “register to vote in [insert your home state here]” and follow the directions. Next, read up and stay informed on the candidates so that you can make an educated decision for yourself based on which candidates’ policies align best with your priorities and views.
The easiest way for registered college students to vote as a resident of their home state while living away at college is by obtaining an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots are votes conducted by mail-in ballots before Election Day. To vote via absentee ballot, click on this link and fill out the form (called a Federal Post Card Application, or FPCA), or google “request an absentee ballot [your state]”. Once you have filled out the form, you mail it in to your election office in your state of legal residence. Your election office will send you an absentee ballot in the mail in response, with a return envelope to mail it in. Fill out the ballot, and send it back to the office. Fun Fact: Brown will mail your absentee ballot for free thanks to The Swearer Center, so you really have no excuse!
The only tricky thing here is remembering to mail your ballots in on time. If you live in a Super Tuesday or Caucus state (Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia), then you’ve already missed your voting chance for the primaries, but you can still register in time to vote in the general election in November! If you don’t live in any of the above states, follow this link to see when you need to mail your ballot in by to vote in the Primaries. *Note: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Washington all have their deadlines within the coming week, so mail those ballots!
You wonder, does my state have specific rules? Should I register in my home state or my college state? Does where I register to vote affect my scholarships or financial aid package? How do I vote if I am studying abroad? If I register to vote in another state, can my parents still claim me on their taxes? Do I have to change my driver’s license if I register to vote in a different state? Can I register in my home state and my college state? How long must I live in a state to be able to vote there? What happens if my ballot doesn’t get there in time? These are all super valid questions. Luckily, they’re also very common questions, and Bestcolleges.com has dedicated a whole section of their website to answering these questions and more! Just click here to read more about voting in college!
Happy voting everyone, let’s get that number above 50%! Exercise your civic duty!