Elon Votes! and the Kernodle Center for Civic Life are encouraging students to be more civically engaged this election season. The organizations are hosting multiple voter registration drives before early voting begins Oct. 15. Co-coordinator of Elon Votes! Olivia Brown sat down with Elon News Network to discuss how students can vote and said she hopes these drives help to inform and empower students when they vote.
This interview was edited for clarity.
How can students register to vote in Alamance County?
There's actually multiple ways. We do host registration drives for students to vote, and if you can't make it, we also do have, with TurboVote on our website, there is step-by-step instructions for how you can register. With technology, things can go wrong or it can be a little bit confusing, because it's a multi-step process. We have an early voting campus site in South Gym, from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31, and you can register and vote on the same day. So that's the easiest way to go about it.
How long does this process usually take?
That depends on the board of elections, but I would say it's maybe about a week that they take. They’re very quick with it, so you should be able to be approved very quickly.
Is this process different for people that want to vote in their home state?
Yes, for voting in your home state you would need to request an absentee ballot. You would need to first request, and then it gets sent to you, and then you would have to fill it out, and then send it back. So that requires a couple more steps to it.
Does Elon Votes help in any way with that?
Yes, we can always help you request an absentee ballot with TurboVote, they can pull up the correct forms for any of the 50 states, and we can help you fill it out and get it mailed out, get you your stamp and everything. That way it gets mailed to the right place. And when you get it back, that's more of you fill it out, but then we can help with that.
If students were registered to vote two years ago, and then they moved off campus, or they moved to a different dorm, do they have to update their registration to include the new address?
If you got one that was in 2024 and is now expired, you need to get a new one, which would also include you updating your address on it.
How does that process work?
That is really simple. Your standard Phoenix ID card that you just get when you're a student doesn't actually count as a valid form of ID for when you vote. But if you go to the office for Phoenix Cards, they can get you a voter ID card, and it's super easy, super simple. It takes just a couple minutes, and it will say it's a valid ID card for voting.
What are some important dates and deadlines students should be aware of when it comes to registering or voting?
Well, we have until the ninth to register to vote, but if you miss that deadline, you can still absolutely vote. You can register and vote at the same time with early voting.
What do students need to be aware of to know that they’re registered and they could go and vote?
After you register to vote, you will get your little card that says that you've registered, that'll come back in the mail. Depending on the place you put, most students do put their campus box, so it'll just be a little letter that's sent to you that says, “Oh, you've registered,” and it's just to make sure that you know. And then once you get that you're good to go.