College can be hard, but voting doesn’t have to be
Listen, I get it, it's 8 a.m. and you’re trudging what feels like miles to get to your class, when all of a sudden you get bombarded by what feels like a million different people asking the same questions:
“Are you registered to vote?”
“Did you know you can get registered to vote today?”
“Do you have a plan to vote this fall?”
“Are you registered at your campus address?”
It’s overwhelming, and it can feel unnecessary; however, as college students, we are in a unique position to create real change by casting our vote. Our lives are not exempt from the impacts of elections. Whether it is student loan forgiveness, building safe and affordable housing, or the price of groceries, your local elected officials create the policies that shape the quality of our lives.
So, what now? You know you need to vote, you’ve heard it a thousand times, but how can you be #VoteReady for the elections?
The FIRST step is to visit the Registration Repair page on the NC State Board of Elections’ website to see if you need to “repair” or update your voter registration. If you’re on the list, it simply means you need to provide additional information to make sure your registration is up to date. Click our YouTube video or go to https://youtu.be/4MXPrz-a23o to watch our tutorial on repairing your registration in under five minutes!
NEXT, create your voting plan! Discover the three ways you can vote, research candidates on your ballot, confirm your registration, and find answers about Voter ID and other FAQs in our NC Voter Guide at youcanvote.org/vote.
Dates to Remember to #Vote2025!
October 10: Registration deadline if you want to vote on November 4.
October 16 - November 1: Early voting period. You can use same-day registration to vote during this time!
November 4: Election Day! If you vote by mail, your ballot must be returned by 7:30 p.m. on this day.
Voting in person? Bring your friends and family with you! You may dread a group project (like me), but creating change doesn't happen alone. Share important information about the local elections this fall with your network and plan to #Vote2025!
As I begin my senior year at UNC-Chapel Hill, I am hit with a wave of nostalgia over the memories I’ve made and the people I’ve met. As I start this academic year, I am happy knowing that my vote will leave an impact on the community I’ve called home for the past four years!
To learn everything you need to know about voting in the upcoming election, visit youcanvote.org/vote.
Maylon Rawls is a Civic Fellow for Communications with You Can Vote. He is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill. Learn more about our Civic Fellowship program at youcanvote.org/fellowship.