Registering to vote in this year’s election for local, state and national offices is easier than one may think. The Registrar’s Office, at Sacred Heart Hall Room 230, has Kansas voter registration applications that contain instructions for completing the form. Once the application is completed it can be folded, stamped, and mailed.
This will be the first time most students on campus are able to vote in a presidential election. In the last national election, held in 2012, a majority of students barely missed the age requirement of 18.
Newman senior Nate Siple registered to vote a few years back but when asked his thoughts on voting for the President of the United States this election year he gave an answer similar to many others: “It’s great to have a say in the direction of the country, but it’s pathetic the options before us.”
Junior Rachel Adducci has already registered to vote, but it’s not practical for her to return home on election day to simply cast a vote that will only take a few minutes. “I requested an absentee ballot so I can still vote without going all the way back home,” said Adducci.
Kansas is a “no-excuse” vote early state, either in person or by mail. This means that people do not need an excuse to vote early at specific locations or request an absentee ballot by mail that can be sent in before the election day. Voting by mail can be beneficial to students who do not have the ability to get to a polling station. Details on how to vote by mail can be found here.
Dean of Students Levi Esses wished for students to know that registration applications must be postmarked by Oct. 18 in order to be processed in time for the Nov. 8 General Election. There is also the option of applying for registration online or printing a registration application card at https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/VoterReg/. Any registration application received between Oct. 19 and Nov. 8 will be processed after Nov. 9 after the election. If you are out of the Sedgwick County area, check with your county office for voting registration details.
