No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, we all need to vote this November. There’s a lot of confusion about where and how to vote, but it’s really simple. Check out this chart to see how to vote in your state. If you are a college student who will be moving out of state for college or taking classes online from home, register to vote and determine exactly how you’re going to vote NOW.
Colleges are supposed to help students get their student IDs and give lists of students to local polling locations. They are supposed to make it easier for students to cast their ballots while they’re away from home. The key words here are “supposed to,” and considering the pandemic, financial losses, minimal administrative staff, and chaos as colleges prepare for this upcoming semester or quarter, don’t count on them to make sure that every student vote gets counted.
Instead, every college student who doesn’t have a regular polling place or a reliable plan, should request a mail-in ballot or an absentee ballot. Check this site, to determine what you need to do to ensure that you have a valid ballot that will be counted in November. Vote early and check to see if your vote-by-mail ballot was received by your County Elections Dept. It’s up to you to take the easy steps to vote so you’ll be all set come election day.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, we all need to vote this November. There’s a lot of confusion about where and how to vote, but it’s really simple. Check out this chart to see how to vote in your state. If you are a college student who will be moving out of state for college or taking classes online from home, register to vote and determine exactly how you’re going to vote NOW.
Colleges are supposed to help students get their student IDs and give lists of students to local polling locations. They are supposed to make it easier for students to cast their ballots while they’re away from home. The key words here are “supposed to,” and considering the pandemic, financial losses, minimal administrative staff, and chaos as colleges prepare for this upcoming semester or quarter, don’t count on them to make sure that every student vote gets counted.
Instead, every college student who doesn’t have a regular polling place or a reliable plan, should request a mail-in ballot or an absentee ballot. Check this site, to determine what you need to do to ensure that you have a valid ballot that will be counted in November. Vote early and check to see if your vote-by-mail ballot was received by your County Elections Dept. It’s up to you to take the easy steps to vote so you’ll be all set come election day.
My handwriting is so illegible that I often need my staff to help me read it (ugg); and my signature is just a scribble! I attribute it to my hyphenated last name “Tatsui-D’Arcy” that also has a pesky apostrophe. But now I’m worried that my vote may NOT count in the upcoming election. Apparently, sloppy handwriting can get my mail ballot tossed.
In March 2020, 14,000 mail ballots were rejected in California because the signature on the vote-by-mail envelope didn’t match the one on the registration card. Yes, this is real. My voter registration card is over 40 years old and my handwriting and signature have changed over the years. I used to have neat handwriting and you used to actually be able to read my signature. But after signing thousands of payroll checks, my signature has morphed into a series of squiggles.
According the Secretary of State Alex Padilla, over 100,000 mail ballots weren’t counted in the March election. 70% were bounced because they arrived late (postmarked after the election day), but the 2nd-highest reason was mismatched signatures.
Every county has different ways of verifying signature for mail-in ballots. Some counties will contact voters to give them the opportunity to verify their signatures, while others just reject the ballot. The easiest way to check your signature is to call the Registrar of Voters or the local Elections Dept. They will check your file and tell you if your latest signature matches their current registration card on file or the latest DMV signature on file.
Do this now, and tell your family and friends to do the same. Since you are going to vote, let’s make sure your county will accept your signature on your mail-in ballot!