Sheets. Pillow cases. Desk lamp. Laundry basket. Shower shoes.
If you’re heading off to college, these things are likely on your checklist. But you may be overlooking one essential item:
Voting.
And voting, of course, is not just for college students. Whether you’re entering the workforce or continuing your education, living at home in Lexington or in another town or state or country, the rules for successfully casting your ballot may look daunting. But fear not! The Lexington Observer is here to break it down so you can vote in the state primary on Sept. 3 and vote for president and other important offices on November 5, 2024.
First, the basics:
- To vote, you must be 18 and a U.S. citizen.
- You must be registered to vote in the state where you live.
- In Massachusetts, you can pre-register to vote if you’re 16 or 17 and then vote when you turn 18. Use the Online Voter Registration System to check to see if you’re (pre-)registered and register if you need to. You can vote by mail, vote early in person, or vote in person on Election Day. This resource can help you make your plan to vote.
- If you move to a different state, this official guide from the federal government can help you register and get ready to vote there.
- If you are a U.S. citizen in the military or overseas, you can still vote! The Federal Voting Assistance Program shows you how.
How to vote in college:
You can vote as a Lexington resident, or as a resident of the state where you’re going to college, but not both. You can’t be registered in more than one state at a time. If you’re attending college outside of Massachusetts, you can decide to use your home address in Lexington and vote as a Massachusetts resident, or you can use your college address and vote as a resident of the state where your college is located.
If you decide to vote as a Lexington resident while you’re away at college:
- Make sure you’re registered to vote in Massachusetts. Don’t wait for the last minute! You must be registered to vote at least ten days before the election.
- Unless you decide to come home to Lexington to vote in person, you’ll need to vote by mail. Massachusetts does not automatically send you a mail-in ballot — you must apply to receive one. Apply now! You want your vote to count, so make sure you meet the deadlines for applying for and returning your ballot.
- Keep your mailing address up to date with the Town Clerk.
If you decide to vote as a resident of the state where you go to college:
- Beware! Changing your residency could affect your student loans — and more. If you’re thinking of registering to vote in the state where you go to college, find out whether you have student loans that are contingent on your being a Massachusetts resident. You don’t want to lose your loans! And make sure you don’t have any other benefits, services, or obligations that could be affected by changing your legal residency. If you change your address to another state, you won’t be able to vote in any Massachusetts elections, including Lexington’s local elections, and you won’t be eligible to run for Lexington Town Meeting or any other town-elected office.
- You’ll need to register in the state where you’re going to school, and you’ll need to meet the state’s deadline, residency, voter ID, and other requirements.
- The U.S. Vote Foundation website can help you register and learn the requirements for voting in your school’s state.
Everyone has questions about voting at one time or another. Here are some great resources you can turn to:
- Ask the Town Clerk about voting in Lexington or in Massachusetts.
- Find out the election dates and deadlines for every state.
- Learn about candidates and what’s on your ballot.
- Consult Vote Riders for help with voter ID requirements in all fifty states. They can help you get a valid ID, too.
- Contact the trained volunteers at the Election Protection hotline if you have questions, or if you are facing barriers to voting. Consider putting their number in your contacts: 866-687-8683.
- Sign up for election reminders with TurboVote so you’ll never miss an election.
There are so many ways to be an involved citizen. But voting is the only activity that determines who gets to govern us. Make sure you have your say. Encourage your family and friends to vote, too. And let us know how it goes!
the Munroe Center for the Arts is having a 1 hour workshop on August 12 @ 4pm in conjunction with MassCreative to help young voters learn about the political landscape, voting, and advocacy … munroecenter.org/create-the-vote
In virtually all states, students have the choice of registering either where they attend school or where they are originally from, depending on which address they consider their current residence. (Students’ post-graduation plans are largely irrelevant to voting residency.)
Students’ decisions to register at school, rather than where they are originally from, will not have any federal tax or financial aid consequences. It will not, for example, have a detrimental effect on their parents’ ability to claim them as dependents on federal tax returns. Nor will it affect a students’ scholarship eligibility, except in extremely rare cases involving grants that depend on a student staying in a particular place. Source: The Brennan Center for Justice New Voter Guide
The United States Congress still hasn’t changed our complex voting processes, and they continue to confuse our teenagers at colleges throughout the country.