Before Americans head to the polls Nov. 6 to cast their ballots in the midterm elections, they’ll need to make sure they have the proper paperwork completed to make their voices heard.
In addition to the national congressional election, Ohio will be electing a new governor as well as several state congressional positions. County by county, people will vote on different offices and issues, many of which will affect local, state and national government. However, some are concerned that the low voter turnout in the 2016 election will repeat itself.
“In 2016, less than one-fifth of young people voted, which is appalling,” Eva Holtkamp, vice president of the Ohio University College Democrats and an Ohio Democratic Party fellow, said. “How can we expect our voices to be recognized and be heard if we are not voting?”
In 2012, 46 percent of eligible millennials said they had voted, according to a Pew Research Center study. Here are a few ways students can help grow that percentage.
Registering to vote
Registering to vote is a short and simple process that takes about five minutes.
The Voter Registration and Information Update Form is the only form you need to register to vote, Athens County Board of Elections Clerk Carol Perry said. The form can be found online, at the Athens County Board of Elections and often outside Baker Center at a voter registration table.
To register, you just need your name, address, birthdate, the last four digits of your social security number or Ohio driver's license number, and your signature. The deadline to register is Oct. 9.
Voting absentee
Voting absentee allows you to vote in the precinct where you are from, where your permanent address is or where you would have voted before coming to Ohio University.
Here’s how to do it:
- Fill out the absentee ballot application. That includes general information: your name, birthdate, address at which you are registered to vote, your mailing address and the last four digits of your social security number or Ohio driver’s license number. The form can be found and filled out online, then must be printed and signed.
- Mail your absentee ballot to your home county Board of Elections. The address for your home Board of Elections can be found online.
- Wait to receive your ballot in the mail from your home county. That ballot will have candidates and issues from the precinct where your permanent address is.
- Return your completed ballot. That can be mailed in or returned to the Athens County Board of Elections.
The first date to send your absentee ballot in is Oct. 10, and your ballot must be postmarked by the day before the election, Nov. 5, and must be received by your county within 10 days after the election to be counted, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.
Changing your address
If you want to change your address to vote for Athens issues and candidates, that can be done on the same form to register to vote, the Voter Registration and Information Update form.
The form can be found online, at the Athens Board of Elections or outside of Baker Center at a voter registration table. To fill out the form, you need your name, birthdate, new address, old address, the last four digits of your social security number or Ohio Driver’s License number, and signature. The deadline to change your address is Oct. 9.
“If you are 18, registering to vote and actually voting is extremely important,” OU College Republicans President Missy Pedulla said. “Our generation is diverse with many differing opinions and we need to make sure that every single one is heard so that we aren’t categorized into a bucket that only represents a fraction of us.”
