Election Day

All eligible students are encouraged to learn about vote in public elections, not just every four years during presidential elections, but in federal midterm, state, and local elections as well.  Students who are not eligible to vote in U.S. elections are encouraged to learn about civic issues and elections and can choose to get involved in other ways.

Vote

• To be eligible to vote, you must be registered.  Registration is easy, but the procedure is different in each state.  You can check your registration status and register to vote using Tufts TurboVote.
• Eligible voters can choose to register at their local/campus address or their home/permanent address–it’s up to you.
• If you are registered to vote at your local/campus address, you can vote in person on election day. You can check your registration status and find your polling location on TurboVote.
• If you voted by mail before Election Day, you can check the status of your ballot online. Vote.org has a helpful online resource which directs you to the ballot tracker for your state!
• If you are voting by mail and haven’t completed your ballot yet, complete it today. In some states, you may have to request a ballot first. Be sure to look up the guidelines for your state. Take it to a post office in person to make sure it is postmarked on election day.

Work the Polls

Somerville, Cambridge, Boston, Brookline, and Arlington are all recruiting people to work at the polling locations on Election Day.  Responsibilities generally include checking in voters, passing out ballots for voters to complete, and tallying or safeguarding completed ballots. No previous experience is needed and training is provided.  Most municipalities pay a small stipend to poll workers. It’s a great way to directly participate in democracy!