I voted early this year! I initially was going to vote on election day, but when Covid cases went up on my campus, I was worried that I’d be kicked off due to the Covid risk before I was able to vote, and I’m only registered to vote in my college state (Ohio), not my home state (Massachusetts). Since Ohio is a swing state, and since Massachusetts always swings one way (which is the way that I vote), I figured my vote matters more in Ohio, so I decided to vote early while I knew I was still on campus.
I got a ride from my friend to the Licking County Administration Building in Newark, Ohio, which is where the county seat is. It was about a ten minute ride, as Denison is fairly close. I arrived at around 3 pm on a Monday, and I was worried there might be a long line. But surprisingly, there wasn’t!
I had to meet with someone before I was actually able to vote, where they checked my ID (my Massachusetts driver’s license worked fine), asked me the last four digits of my SSN, and then printed out a sheet for me to take into the room where I’d actually vote. I had my mask on, of course, and so did everyone else, fortunately.
Once I went in, I picked a machine, inserted my paper, and got started! It took me a little more than five minutes to fill out my ballot, and once I was done, I got a receipt printed. I was asked to take my receipt to another machine that scanned it, and then I was all done! I got a sticker and I was happy to get the “I [image of Ohio] voting” sticker (because, ya know, the state of Ohio looks kinda like a heart?). Then I headed back to campus and that was that. I got an email from Denison’s voting committee letting me know my ballot was received maybe a day later.
I’m really glad I voted early, because that meant I wouldn’t have had to wait in a super long line on election day. I’m also glad the location I went to operated quickly, efficiently, and with the health guidelines obeyed and enforced. So if you’re still not sure whether to vote early or on election day, I highly recommend you vote early too!