For many undergraduates, this November will be their first opportunity to vote — and for those who have voted, it will likely be their first presidential election.
The details entailed in the voting process already pose challenges for some. But for out-of-state students who, according to Collegeboard, comprise about 28 percent of the undergraduate student population, voting poses additional hurdles.
Many students registered in their home states may wonder how to even approach the process. By opting to vote absentee – more recently referred to as “voting by mail” – out-of-state students can remain registered in their hometowns and still participate in the election from the Biola area.
It’s one or the other, however. Registering here in Los Angeles County will immediately cancel students’ voter registration in their hometowns.
As each state has its unique requirements, the absentee process may not seem very straightforward. Here are some useful tools for absentee voters.
1) The first step in the process is filling out an absentee request form. In most cases, it’s necessary for students to print out the request form from their state’s web sites and mail them to the appropriate address listed online. However, some places, such as Maricopa County in Arizona, provide request forms that can be submitted electronically.
The Go Vote Absentee web site allows visitors to simply enter their ZIP code on the home page and print out the necessary absentee ballot request form. Students must typically include information like their political party and driver’s license number.
2) The second step is to actually vote after receiving the ballot. Black or blue pen are fine in most cases, but the most important thing is to mark everything clearly.
3) In the third step, students mail their ballots before their state’s deadline to the specified government office address. The Long Distance Voter web site provides a list of all 50 states’ deadlines for both absentee ballot request forms and the actual absentee ballots.
Site for ballot deadlines by state: www.longdistancevoter.org
Go Vote Absentee web site: govoteabsentee.org
