Students and other new voters usually have to jump over a few extra hurdles to exercise their right to vote.
Don't worry — the links below will walk you through your choices, and USD Votes volunteers are available to answer any questions you have.
Get Registered
You have to register to vote at one address.
You do not just vote for president of the United States every four years. You also vote for statewide offices like governor or senator, legislative offices like representative to the U.S. House, and local offices like school board representative and mayor. These people are elected in particular geographic jurisdictions, and only the people who live there can vote for them. That's why you have to choose just one address as your residence for voting — that choice determines which candidates will be on your ballot.
If you have both a permanent address and a school-year address, you get to choose which residence you want to use for voting. There is no right or wrong answer, and you can change your registration before any applicable deadlines. Just make sure you only actually vote in one place. (Voting twice in the same election is a felony.)
Voting Logistics
Getting registered is the first of two important steps.
Next, you have to make sure you know how you will get your ballot. In most cases, you need to make sure your ballot will be mailed to your current address. In some states, this may require filling out a form that is different from your voter registration.
Learn more about your specific situation here:
Get Informed
There is more to voting than just presidential elections. You get to decide who represents you in your city government, your state government, and in Congress as well.
It's great to read a newspaper every day. The library also holds workshops on how to be news literate.
As a University, our mission is to help our community seek out reliable information. Every semester there a variety of events on and around campus to help you learn about politics, government, and public policy.
Did you know that every ballot in the United States is printed at the county level? So your choices and decisions may be different from others who live in different states, cities, or even neighborhoods. Thankfully, the internet makes getting reliable information easy, if you know where to look.
- Ballotpedia compiles voting records and public statements from public officials from around the country at many levels of government. It also has a local ballot tool to help you look up your own ballot choices.
- Ballot Ready helps you check out information for the candidates on your local ballot.
- California voters can learn about statewide ballot propositions and candidates at California Choices.
- Project Vote Smart compiles voting records and public statements from public officials around the country. Once you know who is running for office in your community, this is a great resource to check out their records.
- The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that compiles election specific information from around the country.
Once you know who is representing you, check out their websites. Obviously they want to present themselves as positively as possible, but check out what they promise to do if elected!