I wasn’t able to vote in the last election (I was 17), so being a first-time voter this time around has been an interesting experience. During the last election cycle, I was paying attention to the debates and the night of the election I watched as all the votes came in seeing the outcome in real time. Being able to vote now is kind of scary, knowing that I’m going to be a part of the people who decide the outcome for the next four years is incredibly daunting.
For a while, it didn’t register that I would be out of my home state for the election. Then I started to panic, trying to figure out what I was going to do. My trip home is anywhere from six to eight hours. My mom reminded me of absentee ballots, which posed a new challenge: how do I do an absentee ballot? For Virgina and many other states, you can go to a voting website and find all the information you need. You can register to vote, check your voter status, find your polling place and submit an absentee ballot. It was a simple application, basically just registering to vote and then giving the address of where you’re living outside of Virginia.
For other states, you can go to vote.gov and find information of how to vote in your state. The website also includes resources for voting as a college student, someone with a disability and other unique cases. States also have their own websites where you register to vote and apply for absentee ballots or vote by mail depending on what your state allows.
This part was actually so easy. After submitting all my information, I got an email that my ballot would be delivered in five to seven business days. It arrived mid-October and I was able to mail it back within a day.
The University of Connecticut has also had some great voting preparation opportunities. If you’re a Mansfield resident or a UConn student registered to vote in Mansfield, then you’re able to vote on campus at the bookstore. In the Babbidge library, there is a display of books that center around voting. On Nov. 4, they’re hosting an online workshop called Ballot Ready. They’ll be giving resources on finding reliable and nonpartisan sources to help understand the upcoming ballot, researching candidates and ballot measures, and critically approach election related information on social media.
Being a student during election season, specifically in college, can be a stressful time. Even if you’re not hearing debates and having the candidates shoved down your throat all time, having an important election such as this one is a lot. With all the tension this middle part of the semester brings, being in the know of what’s going on within politics is an added pressure. Figuring out your voting plan, especially if you’re not local to where your college is, deciding what your ballot is going to look like, and overall counting down the days to Nov. 5 is a lot for young adults.
Having preparation from early September of what my voting is going to look like took the edge off and allowed me to focus on school while feeling secure in my part of the election.
Next Tuesday is a very important day for the next four years of our lives. If you’re able to, go perform your civic duty and vote!