Make Sure Your Vote Counts!
A student guide to voting in 2006.
By Joseph Peha, University of Denver
Friday November 3, 2006
Students have more to overcome than papers and exams during November. When it comes to voting, students across the country face harrowingly long lines, stringent ID requirements, voter intimidation, and various other impediments.
 Hurdles to Student Voting
Long Lines: In 2004 the students of Kenyon College had to wait in line for as long as 10 hours to vote. Their entire county only had two voting machines, one of which was malfunctioning for hours on end.
Voter ID Requirements: A slew of states have passed laws requiring voters to present some form of government issued identification at the polls. Since many students don’t have a driver’s license or passport, this can adversely affect their ability to vote. Even if you have some form of ID, there is no guarantee you’ll remember to bring your wallet to the polling place.
Intimidation and Sabotage: In 2004, government officials in Texas and Arizona attempted to block the student vote. The district attorney of Waller County, Texasdeclared it illegal for the students of Prairie A&M University to vote where they attended school. In nearby Arizona the Pima County registrar said out of state students would be committing a felony if they registered to vote, that is, unless they planned to stay indefinitely. This is unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court has ruled that students must be allowed to register to vote in the community where they attend school. Luckily, when it came to Election Day, students were allowed to vote in both states.
In Pennsylvania, someone distributed intimidating flyers on university campuses the day before the 2004 presidential election. The flyers proclaimed that out-of-state student voters would lose any grant money from their home state, which is wholly untrue.
Faulty Voting Machines: Voters in Florida experienced glitches with new touch screen voting machines in the 2006 primaries. When voters selected one candidate, the machine said they had voted for another.
Ensuring Your Vote Counts:
- Make sure you are registered - You can check your registration status online. It’s easy and only takes a minute!
- Find Out Where You Are Supposed to Vote - To avoid voting with a provisional ballot, which is not counted as readily as regular ballots are, make sure you vote in the correct location. You can find your polling place online.
- Bring ID if you need it - If you live in one of the states listed below, make a “mental note” and staple a piece of paper to your forehead reminding you to bring your ID to the polling place. Or you can just remember. Either way.
- After voting, double check your ballot/receipt/touchscreen to ensure your vote is correct - If you notice any irregularities speak with your local poll worker and ask to use a different machine. Before you go to your polling station, check this map to anticipate what kind of voting equipment you’ll be using.
- Report any problems.
- Don’t put up with machines that won’t record your vote the way you want them to! And don’t tolerate any voter intimidation. If you encounter any problems that you can’t resolve, please call one of the various hotlines to receive assistance.
- Call 1-866-MY-VOTE-1 (698-6831) to report voting problems.
- Call 1-800-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) if you need legal help
- Call 1-877-SEIU-VOTE (734-8868) to find your polling place, report any problems at the polls, or speak with your local board of election.
Make sure your vote is counted!
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