2018 is a Midterm election year!

What does that mean? Midterm elections occur every four years in between Presidential election years. The purpose of the midterm elections is to fill Congressional seats that are vacant in both the House of Representatives and the US Senate, in addition to filling local office vacancies. Many states also elect their governors during midterm years, Vermont is one of them! This year, Election Day is Tuesday November 6 and we encourage you to get out and vote! AND, if you didn’t know already, you can vote here in Burlington, Vermont! Students are allowed to vote where they attend school, meaning that UVM students may register and vote in Burlington this November.

 

UVM’s Leadership & Civic Engagement office is dedicated to registering anyone and everyone to vote, regardless of political affiliation. To make registering to vote and requesting your absentee ballot as easy as possible, we use TurboVote. TurboVote is an online one-stop shop for student voting needs. The tool makes being a voter easy by guiding you through the process to register to vote and/or request an absentee ballot, no matter the state in which you want to vote. And if you need to register or vote absentee, TurboVote will mail you your forms along with a pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelope. Additionally, all students who sign up for TurboVote will receive text or email reminders with important voting information before each election—local, state, and national—in which they’re eligible to vote.

Register to vote or request your absentee ballot using TurboVote! Specific instructions for TurboVote are below.

 

RECOMMENDED TIMELINE:

ASAP / Now: Register to vote. If you are registering in Vermont you can register online up until November 5^th at 5pm online, and on election day in-person.

October 23, two weeks before the election: Request your absentee ballot if you are voting in another state, and not planning on going home to vote.

October 30, one week before the election: Fill out your absentee ballot and mail it!

November 4, two days before the election: Find your polling place, plan how you’re going to get to your polling place, and review the candidates that will be on your ballot Tuesday.

Election Day, November 6: Vote! Watch your email for information regarding rides to the polls.

 

TurboVote Instructions

Registering to Vote in Vermont

As a student attending a university in the State, you are allowed to vote in Vermont!

• Go to https://uvm.turbovote.org/
  • “Get Started” link
• Follow the prompts for your personal information
• Are you registered to vote?
  • Select “No / I’m Not Sure”
  • Select your campus residence hall or type in your off-campus address
• “I’ll Register Online”
  • This redirects you to the Vermont Secretary of State’s Website.
    • If you have a Vermont ID, follow that link, take a picture of your ID and upload the photo where specified
    • If you do NOT have a Vermont ID, follow that link and complete the required information
  • IMPORTANT! You are considered a resident of Vermont because you attend school here. Be sure to check the “I am a resident of Vermont” box
  • Once you are finished with the Vermont Secretary of State page, it will tell you you’re registered, congrats!
• Go back to the TurboVote tab
  • Follow the prompts / questions
  • You want to vote “in person” in Burlington
• Congrats! You’re done!

 

Registering in a State Other than Vermont

• Go to https://uvm.turbovote.org/
  • “Get Started” link
• Follow the prompts for your personal information
• Are you registered to vote?
  • Select “No / I’m Not Sure”
  • Follow the instructions for your State
    • NOTE: Some states’ registration deadlines have already passed, BUT you are eligible to vote in Vermont as a student!
  • Return to TurboVote
    • Follow the prompts / questions
  • Where you are voting
    • If you are going home to vote, select “at the polls”
    • If you need an absentee ballot, select “by mail”
      • Have a ballot mailed to you, or print your own ballot
        • If you are having your ballot mailed to you, provide your Burlington address
      • Congrats! You’re registered!

 

Changing Your Voter Registration

(You were registered at home and now want to register in Vermont, you’re address has changed since you registered to vote).

• Go to https://uvm.turbovote.org/
  • “Get Started” link
• Follow the prompts for your personal information
• Are you registered to vote?
  • “Yes”
  • Input the address at which you are registered – probably your home address
• Have you moved
  • “Yes”
  • Fill out your new address
    • Follow instructions for either “Registering to Vote in Vermont” or “Registering to Vote in a State Other than Vermont”

 

 

Requesting an Absentee Ballot

We recommend that you request your ballot at least two weeks prior to elections, and mail it back one week before.

• Go to https://uvm.turbovote.org/
  • “Get Started” link
• Follow the prompts for your personal information
• Are you registered to vote?
  • “Yes”
  • Input the address at which you are registered – probably your home address
• Have you moved
  • “No” – you are simply away attending school
• Return to TurboVote
  • Follow the prompts / questions
• Where do you plan to vote?
  • “By Mail”
    • “I Like Getting Mail” or “I’ll Print My Own”
    • “I Like Getting Mail” – a ballot will be sent to your Burlington address
      • “Somewhere Else” – Input your Burlington mailing address or campus mailing address
    • “I’ll Print My Own”
      • Download and print out the form, fill it out, sign it, mail it!
    • You’re done, congrats!

 

State Registration Deadlines

• https://www.rockthevote.org/voting-information/
  • Browse to your state to find out when your voter registration deadlines are!

 

General Information for UVM Students

• You are allowed to vote where you attend school, consider voting in Vermont!
• TurboVote will send you text or email updates about elections
• SGA will be running vans to the polls
• You can only vote in ONE place, i.e., you cannot vote at home and in Vermont in the same election

 

Vermont Voter Bill of Rights

• https://www.sec.state.vt.us/media/57063/2008VTVoterBillofRights.pdf

 

 

UVM BORED would like to give a HUGE thanks to UVM’s Leadership & Civic Engagement office for putting together this guest blog.

Exercise your right to vote, Cats! Your voice matters!