Updates in Honors

 

The United States President, house, senate, and some local elections are coming up fast on November 3rd. To some of you, it might be your first or second time voting, so I gathered some information that will make your voting process easy.

 

There are 2-3 steps that must be followed in order to vote this fall depending on if you plan to vote in person or absentee in CT:

 

If you plan to vote in person;

1. Register to vote here by Oct 27th (same day registration available before 7pm on November 3rd)
2. Vote at your polling location on November 3rd
1. Look up your polling location here

If you plan to vote by mail;

1. Register to vote here by Oct 27th
2. Request an absentee ballot by November 2nd
1. If you were registered, you would have gotten an absentee ballot request automatically this year.
2. Request at your town hall that you are registered to vote for (in-person)
3. Request by mail
1. Send this document to the office of the Town Clerk where you are registered to vote for
3. Return your ballot by Oct 27th (recommended by USPS)
1. Mail the ballot back
2. Drop it off at your town hall

 

Voting from UConn?

• You can mail from USPS at downtown storrs or USPS drop box at the West hall bus stop.

Voting out of state?

• Specific instructions might be different, but should be similar. Reference these good resources https://www.betterknowaballot.com/ and https://www.vote.org/

Don’t know who is running?

• Check out https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup to see who you can pick.

Need more info on the voting process?

• https://www.vote.org/state/connecticut/

 

Tips on researching candidates!

• Think about what YOU care about the most. Find a candidate that aligns with your beliefs. You can find websites that let you take a quiz to see who views align with you!
• Go to the candidate's website, facebook, and other social media sites to see what they're promising.

○      Presidential and Congressional candidates usually have issues sections on their website.

• Be wary of common distortion techniques including attacking opponents on irrelevant status, spreading misinformation and rumors, guilt by association, use of catchwords, passing the blame, promising something no one can fulfill, and evading real issues.
• Remember! Your vote will change more than just who gets to live in the White House. All aspects of your life such as infrastructure, COVID, racial justice, police reform, environment, climate change, healthcare, gun policy, the economy, immigration, education, voter reform, and more are directly impacted by your vote, especially at the local level, so do your best to engage with the change you want to see in the world. No matter how you vote, we hope you do (if you’re legally permitted to vote in the United States)!

 

There are lots of resources available on the internet to guide you through this process. Ask those who have voted before if you are confused, and as always feel free to ask your RA!

One vote might not change the world, but everyone’s vote can change the future.

For more information, contact: Honors at honorsevents@uconn.edu