With the presidential election approaching, students at the University of Miami have an opportunity to make their voices heard — even if they come from across state lines.
As the Oct. 7 deadline to register in Florida rapidly approaches, here’s what to know about registering and requesting absentee ballots to secure your vote.
For in-state students
If you are a Florida resident who is 18 years old or older, you are able to register online at the Florida Department of State’s website or by visiting designated voter registration locations across the state. Students must provide a valid Florida driver’s license or ID and the last four digits of their social security number.
In Miami-Dade, the voter registration location is at the Election’s Department building in Doral at 2700 NW 87th Ave. The department is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed on Saturday. and Sunday.
Another way to register is by mailing in a paper application. To make sure your application is accepted, have it postmarked by Oct. 7.
Recent legislation in Florida has raised fees on third party voter registration groups. Florida identifies these groups as any person, entity, candidate or group that independently engages in the separate collection of voter registration applications.
Groups such as Get Out the Vote have had a harder time registering voters in person as a result of the new laws. Now, they need to provide paperwork to the state in a 10 day period or face high fines.
The Butler Center for Service and Leadership recommends that students also use TurboVote to get registered.
For out-of-state students
Out-of-state students need to request absentee ballots from their home state to participate in the election from Florida on Election Day. These students must request their ballots via their state’s election authority online by their home state’s specific deadline.
Students can also use the National Association of Secretaries of State website to learn more about how to register for an absentee ballot in their state.
To update your voter registration, whether that be due to party affiliation or change of address, you can visit Vote.gov. On this website, you can select your state and follow the links on the webpage.