Just 36 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the 2014 midterm elections — the lowest number since 1942. And while voting day isn’t until November 6, the deadline to register to vote in San Luis Obispo is October 22.
Registering to Vote
In order to register to vote, visit the California Online Voter Registration website. The website will walk you through the process of registering in California.
Associated Student Inc. (ASI) used TurboVote to help students register until this year, according to ASI President Jasmin Fashami.
Students will need to include their full name and complete address. All students living on campus are considered California state residents.
Students will also need to have their driver’s license number, a state identification card number or the last four digits of their social security number.
The registration form will be for the U.S. state or foreign country the registrant was born in, along with the state you were last registered to vote in, if any. Registrants are also asked for their phone number, but this optional, once it is entered it becomes a public record.
Voting by Ballot
After the registration process, students will have the option to receive a mail-in ballot. Students who opt for this ballot should make sure it will be sent to their current mailing address. For those already registered to vote but living in a different location than when you registered, be sure to change the ballot destination to your current address.
Ballots need to be mailed no later than seven days before the election. For those that miss the deadline, don’t sweat it, ballots can be dropped off on Nov. 6 at any polling station.
Voting in Person
To find the closest polling station nearest you, people can search on the County of San Luis Obispo’s website.
Electioneering, or promoting a campaign, is prohibited within 100 feet of all polling places in the county, so voters should leave their favorite candidate’s t-shirt, hat and buttons at home.
Voting Abroad
Even students studying abroad can take part in the midterm elections by applying to vote by mail using the Federal Post Card Application.
Editor’s note: The article has been updated to say ASI no longer uses TurboVote to help student’s register.