Midterm elections are coming up on Nov. 6, and it’s just around the corner. While elections are a very important time, many college students do not know where to start. Here is some basic voting knowledge you need to know.
It is important that you are already registered to vote. Although the voter’s registration ended last Friday, to participate in election, you must be registered. You can register online, at the DMV, or at your local courthouse.
Many voters look at the act of voting as a civic duty.
“The unrepresented portion of the voting population is people in our age (ages 18-24) voting demographic,” said William Peace University sophomore and political science major, Juan Pleitez.
According to civicyouth.org, “19.9 percent of 18-29-year-old voted in the 2014 election. This was the lowest rate of youth turnout recorded in the current population supplement in the past 40 years.”
This has been a rising issue for some time. Most of the voting population are people within the age ranges of 50 years old and up. Many see this as an issue, because this strong foundation of voters will not be around much longer.
While some look at voting as a civic duty, others look at it to improve the government.
“If you do not vote, the you cannot complain about who is in office,” said WPU global studies major sophomore, Treace Harris.
What many students have a hard time with is finding who is running for office. Many see the ads that are run on T.V, but they do not know what the politician represents.
“I usually read about the candidates online. You can go to a local paper such as News and Observer and look at who all is running in the election,” said Harris.
This year the results are in the voter’s hands. The only way to find a person who is fit for office is to participate in the election.
For students in different counties other than Wake or students who are out-state can request an absentee ballot. To request one, you must fill out the form.
To receive a ballot, a near relative or legal guardian must use the State Absentee Ballot request form to request the ballot. Request forms are available at the State Board of Elections office, on the State Board of Elections website, and at county boards of election offices. The ballots must be completed and turned in by 5:00 pm on the last Tues. before the election.
As far as turnouts this year, many do not know who will hold the majority vote. The results are changing daily and the majority rule is unknown.
“It’s anyone’s game as far as elections go. You can’t necessarily trust the polls, because they’re constantly changing,” said Pleitez. “However, it will be interesting to see how the Federal as well as the State Senate and House after midterms.”
With that being said, make sure you go out and vote on Nov.6 and if you vote outside of Wake county, be sure to request an absentee ballot no later than the last Tues before the election.