UCLA students can cast their ballots at a variety of locations in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, regardless of their current registration status.
Students who are registered to vote in Los Angeles County can vote at polling stations around Westwood and on campus, including at Ackerman Union, De Neve Plaza and the Hammer Museum. California voters also automatically receive mail-in ballots at their registered address and have the option to vote by mail. Ballots must be either postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10 or dropped off at a registered ballot box – available in Gateway Plaza for UCLA students – before polls close at 8 p.m.
Students registered in other California counties can apply to vote absentee via Remote Accessible Vote-By-Mail if they cannot access the ballot sent to their registered address. They must fill out a ballot digitally and print the completed ballot, which can then be dropped off or mailed as normal.
Voters do not need to pay postage for mail-in ballots when using the envelope provided with their ballot, but must pay postage when using a different envelope. All envelopes must be signed on the outside. Voters can check the status of their vote-by-mail ballot through the California Secretary of State’s office.
People who missed the Oct. 19 registration deadline can still register or change their registration in person and receive a provisional ballot, which will be counted once the registration is verified. Out-of-state UCLA students who are not registered in their home state can register to vote in California using their college address.
Students voting in person do not need to bring a valid identification unless they have never voted in a federal election before, did not register in person and did not provide a California ID number or Social Security number when registering, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.
Havanna Dunlap, the social director for Bruin Democrats, said many students find voting stressful, but they can access a variety of resources to help them decide which options best align with their values.
“No one wants to be wrong, or people don’t want to ask for help,” Dunlap said. “Just reach out to anyone who you think will be able to help them, or go to a club on campus … or simply looking up a voter guide would be helpful.”
Student-led organizations across UCLA are encouraging students to vote in the midterm elections. BruinsVote, a non-partisan coalition led by the Undergraduate Students Association Council and the Graduate Students Association, held an event Oct. 20 that allowed students to vote early on campus.
[Related: Organizations across campus encourage students to vote in the midterms]
“Voting is incredibly important because it’s really the only surefire way to have a say in what happens to you, both as a student and a citizen,” said Neha Vijay, co-president of BruinsVote and a fourth-year psychobiology student.
Voting early allows students to avoid lines at polling places and makes the experience more convenient, Vijay said. She added that more students would participate in elections if they understood all of their options and the ease of early voting.
Students who are eligible to vote have the opportunity to defend the education, futures and livelihoods of the people who are unable to, said Jack Feng, the external vice president of the GSA. As an elected representative of many students unable to vote in the United States, Feng said his office is dedicated to encouraging student voters to educate themselves and cast their ballots early.
“People say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to do politics.’ But politics is going to do you,” Feng said. “Democracy is an act, not a still moment. We have to actively participate in it every year.”
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