Your Vote, Your Voice: What to Know About Voter Registration & Casting Your Ballot
College is your time to find your voice and make it count. With election season around the corner, now’s the time to get registered, informed, and engaged. The Center for Civic Engagement and Political Engagement Committee are here to help you feel prepared and confident casting your vote.
First time voter? Oct. 21, 2024, is the last day to register before the Nov. 5, 2024, election.
Why Vote?
It's your fundamental right! When you vote, you make your voice and your values known and help shape the future of our country.
How to Vote
We’ve broken down the most critical steps for voter registration and confirming you’re all set to cast your ballot. The process and deadlines vary by state, so we’ve compiled a few quick links for our area: Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, New York.
Now, let’s get ready to vote!
1. Decide Where You Want to Vote
As a college student, you can choose to vote in your hometown (if you're still registered there or maintain a residence) or from your on- or off-campus Widener address. The state and county where you register determines where your vote will count, and you can only be registered in one place at a time.
Consider convenience, but also the issues that matter most to you—some elections include state- or county-specific ballot questions for residents to weigh in on local policy decisions.
- Voting in Your Hometown: You can vote in-person on election day at your hometown’s polling center.
- Voting at Widener: If you live on- or off-campus, you have the right to register to vote in Pennsylvania, as long as you meet the following requirements:
- You’re at least 18 years of age before the day of the election.
- You’re a U.S. citizen for at least one month before the next election.
- You live in the PA voting district to which you register for at least 30 days before the next election. (Yes, WU residence halls count!)
- If you’re already registered under a separate address, you must notify your former jurisdiction to cancel your original registration and transfer your registration to your new voting district.
- Voting by Mail or Absentee Ballot: This is a great option if you are unsure if you’ll be able to vote in person on election day. To vote by mail, request a mail-in ballot, and be sure to follow your state’s specific instructions and deadlines. You can find more information about how to request an absentee ballot here.
- Voting Early: A handful of states—including Delaware and New Jersey—allow early in-person voting. To see if you can, visit ncsl.org.
For more information on voting as a PA college student, check out PA Gov’s website.
2. Register to Vote or Check Your Registration Status
Now that you’ve decided where you want to vote, it’s time for first time voters to register to vote and re-turning voters to check their registration status to ensure their status is active and information is accurate, including their residence. The deadline to register or update existing registration information is Oct. 21, 2024.
- Register to Vote Online: Visit vote.gov/register and follow the prompts. Not all states accept online registration, but most do!
- Register to Vote by Mail: Download, print, and mail-in a completed National Mail Voter Registration Form.
- Register to Vote in Person: Visit a local election office or motor vehicle office (DMV).
- Check Your Registration Status: Not sure if you’re registered, or want to update your legal name, address, or political party? Confirm your registration status on your state’s election website. Here are a few quick links for our area: Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, New York.
3. Get to Know Your Candidates & Ballot Questions
While the presidential candidates will be the same, the rest of your ballot will be specific to your location. To cast your ballot with confidence, get informed of the other candidates and questions.
- Unsure whose policies and values you align with the most? ISideWith.com makes evaluating candidates and political issues fun by taking a quiz that demystifies how your views align (or don’t!) with different candidates.
- Looking for more non-partisan resources? Every election it’s increasingly harder to cut out the noise and get down to the facts. Seeking non-partisan information can help provide well-rounded, non-biased understandings of candidates and election topics. Here are a few:
- Ballotpedia makes it easy to learn more about the presidential candidates as well as all candidates on your local ballot, and even preview your ballot.
- FactCheck.org breaks down the factual accuracy of claims made by politicians and other public figures.
- GovTrack.us sheds light on how political figures cast their ballots over the years.
- OpenSecrets.org tracks money and its effects on US politics.
4. Cast Your Ballot
Now that you’re registered to vote and informed about the issues, it’s time to vote! If you're not voting through a mail-in or absentee ballot, you’ll want to make sure you’re ready on election day—which is Nov. 5, 2024— to make sure your voice is heard.
To vote in person, you’ll want to make sure that you know where your polling place is.
- Voting In Person at Widener: If you live on campus, you live in the Chester City 2nd Ward 2nd Precinct. This means your polling place is Stetser School, 808 E. 17th ST, Chester, PA 19013.
- Voting In Person Off Campus: To find your polling place off-campus, you can check usa.gov.
You’ll also want to have everything you need to vote. Lines to vote could be long, so you’ll want to arrive early with a water bottle, some snacks, and a light jacket depending on what the weather is like.
You also may need to bring some form of ID. State laws vary when it comes to what you need to bring to vote. If this is the first time you’re voting in your precinct in Pennsylvania, you’ll need to bring a valid ID. Examples of valid IDs in Pennsylvania include:
- Pennsylvania driver’s license
- US passport or passport card
- Student ID (high school, college, or university) Military identification
- Employee ID
- Voter registration card
- Current utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck
If you’re not voting in Pennsylvania, you can find information on what you need to vote at ncsl.org.
Get Involved & Stay Engaged
As a university, we are proud to provide transformative life moments for experiencing different points of view. Keep an eye out for campus events to engage and expand your views of the world and yourself. Next up, join us for Constitution Day/National Voter Registration Day on September 17.
Dr. Marina Barnett, associate provost for civic engagement and associate professor of social work, is dedicated to advocacy and social justice. She believes everyone has inherent gifts to contribute to society and overcome personal challenges. Her courses emphasize key social work values—client partnership, non-judgment, and recognizing individual strengths—to inspire students as leaders capable of engaging any population and becoming active participants in their communities.