General election day is right around the corner as Nov. 3 draws closer, and the time window to become a registered voter is closing in on eligible voters. Voting looks different this year as we enter the election season amid the coronavirus pandemic. While it may appear overwhelming at first, there are accessible alternatives that you, the college student, can take advantage of to be a successful voter in this Presidential election.
Register
The first step to becoming a voter is to register. You can do this either online, in-person or by mail. If you are not registered and are living on-campus, you are going to use your on-campus address. This includes both your residential and mailing address. The residential address will be your residential hall name, not the street address. For the mailing address, you will use your campus mailbox. All campus mailbox addresses for on-campus residents are:
Student Name
75 N. Woodward Ave., U-box #___
Tallahassee, FL 32313-7500
The deadline to register as a voter in Florida is Monday, Oct. 5. This deadline applies whether you are registering online, in-person or by mail. If you are doing so via mail, make sure it is postmarked by Oct. 5. Are you not sure if you are a registered voter? You can check here.
Ways To Vote
In unprecedented times such as these, the mail-in/absentee ballot option provides an accessible and non-contact form of participating in the electoral process. You can fill out this online form to request your ballot. Once you have received your ballot, please fill it out and then take it to drop it off at a designated drop box at an early-voting location. If you are already registered in your home county and wish to remain so, you should also select the vote by mail option.
There is also the opportunity to complete your voting before the election day on Nov. 3. In Florida, early voting runs from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31. For Leon County, specifically, early voting is from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1. If you are interested in voting early and in-person, you can find locations at the Florida State University and Florida A&M University campuses as well as several others within Leon County.
Research Candidates and Vote
Once you have registered and decided how you are voting, now comes the question of who to vote for. There is an abundance of information going around about candidates and policies that it can be daunting to determine who you will be casting your vote for this election. Since this election includes other offices and matters — not only the presidential position — of which will show up on your ballot, seeking out reliable sources to have a better understanding of what you will decide will be helpful. One that can be helpful in this search is Vote411. This site is a nonpartisan resource that, after providing the address you are registered with, supplies a look at what your personal ballot will look like regarding your county. It also provides background information and candidate profiles to ensure that you can participate successfully in this election.
If you still have questions or concerns on how to go about this new stage of being an adult, FSU recently launched a new resource called FSU Votes — provided as a way to boost civic participation amongst the student body. FSU Votes is a one-stop site for students looking to register as a voter, request ballots or find a voting site in the Leon County area. Check it out here.
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