Art by Jenna Piatt

Students: Make Sure Your Voice is Heard in 2020

Prepared by Lindsay Nielson

College students face unique barriers to voting, since they move a lot and are just starting to build political knowledge and voting habits. Voter registration may seem intimidating and complicated, but a lot of states are making it easier than ever! You can register to vote quicker than you can get a pizza delivered. If you’re a college student, you have the option of registering to vote at your campus address or at your home address—it’s up to you to decide.

If you want to register to vote in West Virginia

• You must be a U.S. citizen and be at least 18 years old by the general election (if you’re 17, you can register and vote in the primary election, and you’ll automatically be able to vote in other elections once you turn 18).
• You must have lived in the county you want to vote in for at least 30 days.
• If you have a West Virginia driver’s license, you can register to vote online or update your registration.
• If you don’t have a West Virginia driver’s license, you can fill out a form and mail it in.

If you want to register to vote in your home state

• Go to TurboVote to get step-by-step instructions to register in another state, plus email and text reminders of upcoming elections.

It’s also a good idea to check your voter registration on a yearly basis (Google “check my voter registration [state you’re registered in]” and one of the first few results will be a link to your state’s online tool). Make sure your name and birthdate are correct and that your address is up to date.