With the U.S. general election fast approaching in November--and with everyone's growing unease towards the choices of political candidates this year--it is more important than ever for people to know how to vote. And when I say people, I mostly mean students and other first-time voters. We make up a large amount of the population, so it is crucial that we get to the polls and make sure our voices are heard, regardless of which political candidate you're placing your bets on this year.
Know if you're registered to vote. You can register while you get your state drivers license at the DMV, and it's as easy as checking a box. If you're not sure if you're registered or if you don't remember, check your voting status here. And if you need to register to vote in your state, go here.
If you're a student who is attending a college out of state, you'll need an absentee ballot. (Unless you register to vote with your school address. You have the constitutional right to establish voting residency wherever you consider your principal home to be. In the state of Virginia, you can register with your school address without planning to reside at that address permanently or after graduation.) There is still plenty of time to get an absentee ballot--even though the deadline varies by state, you should be fine for another month or so. You can apply for an absentee ballot here if you are already registered to vote; the website will pre-fill your absentee ballot application form, but you'll still need to deliver it to your local Election Official or your local County Board of Registar's Office. The website will also provide you with the contact information of your local Election Official if you have questions.
Know what kinds of identification you have to bring to the voting booth. This does vary by state, but you can click on your state here and look under 'identification' to find out what you need to bring. Some commonly acceptable forms of identification are student photo IDs and state drivers licenses.
Know if new voter restrictions will affect your state. You can check here for the voting restrictions that have been put in place for the 2016 election. For example, in Georgia, there is now a proof of citizenship requirement when someone registers to vote with the national registration form.
Also, yes, if you didn't vote in the primaries earlier this year, you can still vote in the general election--as long as you are registered to vote before the state-determined deadlines that are set just before election day. It's not too late to cast your vote this November, so if you're able to, please do us all a favor and get to the polls.
