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| Image: Sign on UW-Madison's Bascom Hill saying #BADGERSVOTE Photo Credit: Yara Changyit-Levin |
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| Image: A disorganized pile of belongings meant to be packed for college. |
A heap of my child's belongings is growing on my dining room table. Every day it grows, and things are even sliding off the top. Do I yell at her to put them away? No. They are exactly where they should be. This is the staging area where she gathers things she'll need for her freshman year of college.
If you have a college-bound student, you're probably hounding them with never-ending To-Do lists. Collect everything on the college packing list, visit the dentist and eye doctor, refill prescriptions, replace the ratty tennis shoes, and don’t forget to get a haircut, please! But I have one last thing of utmost importance for you to do if your child will be 18 or older by Election Day…register to vote and register for ABSENTEE voting.
Out-of-state college kids will not be home for their very first presidential election. This is true not only for the incoming freshmen but also for anyone who wasn’t old enough to vote in 2020, including my oldest child who will enter their third year of college this fall.
With stakes riding high on issues that affect college students so directly (like, climate, reproductive rights, and gun violence), we need to make sure every eligible voter can cast their vote without problems. It’s tempting to say they can take care of it later, but it’s not easy for new adults to navigate ever-changing voting systems. For example, my state of Missouri requires a notary for excused absentee voting. Many incoming freshmen have never even heard of a notary, much less know where to find one on a campus they’ve never lived on before! Better to take care of the things parents can help with now, so that kids can be free to do things in October like hunt for notary offices, canvas for candidates, and help other students get their ballots.
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| Image: Yara holding a URL code in front of the #BADGERSVOTE sign. Photo credit: Yara Changyit-Levin |
In November of 2022, my oldest child, Yara Changyit-Levin, was a 18-year-old activist discovering how difficult it was for UW-Madison students who waited until the last day to figure out how to vote. As part of the Sunrise Movement, they travelled to Wisconsin to help students vote on campus and assist in encouraging friends to vote as well. (See our blog about it here) For out-of-state students, it wasn't as simple as showing up at a polling place. Yara intercepted several out-of-staters who didn't know they had to go to a specific building to fill out a form before casting a ballot. Woe to those who waited for the last minute and couldn't make the run across campus on time! Of course, it was far too late to vote for candidates in their home state.
Vote.org
Every state has their own rules for absentee voting that can vary widely. In lucky Colorado, every voter receives a mail ballot! I can’t cover everything everyone needs in this blog. But I will point you to the www.vote.org website. Besides an anxiety-producing countdown to election day, you’ll find links to help people in every state find resources to check their registration, register to vote, and vote by mail.
Missouri Voting Rules
If you live in Missouri, which many of my readers do, here is a link from the St. Louis County Board of Elections: https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-government/board-of-elections/elections/absentee-voting/
That’s where I got this handy Missouri absentee voting chart. If you know you’ll be away from home on Election Day and the two weeks leading up to it, you’ll need to apply online, by email, fax, mail, or in person. Out-of-state college students fall in that category. This option is open now and the deadline is two weeks prior to election day.
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| Image: Absentee voting quick reference guide from the St. Louis Board of Elections |
Keep in mind, you can’t just drop something in a mailbox two weeks before. The Board of Elections must receive and process it two weeks prior to Election Day at 5PM.
This absentee registration means you’ll get an absentee ballot sent to you. If your child doesn’t have a school address yet, have it sent to your home and make sure they get it ASAP when you see it. They will need to fill out the ballot and then take it to a notary on or near campus. Common places for notaries include banks, libraries, and campus financial aid/services offices, but that will vary by campus. Your kid will have to bring the ballot there in person along with a valid photo ID that meets state requirements (driver’s license, passport, military ID). Payment might also be required depending on the notary, but it’s usually $5 or less.
“What If My Kid Doesn’t Register Before Leaving?”
Don’t panic if they don’t finish this task before moving to school. Most states can register citizens to vote online and have other options besides in-person absentee voting registration, like email or US postal services. In Missouri, family members like parents, step-parents, grandparents, and even in-laws can request it for the voter if your kid truly can’t figure it out.
Youth Voter Turnout
The last presidential election showed a significant jump in youth voter turnout. It was at a high of 55% not seen since 1972, up from 44% in the 2016 presidential election. (Data from Statista.com)
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| Image: Data from Statista.org showing percent voter turnout for presidential elections from 1972 to 2020. Photo credit: www.Statista.org |
In an era when adults are letting kids down so badly, youth voices are critical to shape a future of their own making. Let’s give them every opportunity to make their votes count!
Image: Book cover
