Spring Break
UPDATE: Voting registration steps for students
Make sure your voice is heard!
Allison Riley
Issue date: 9/30/08 Section: Campus News
1st Update: Click here to open a PDF graphic of registration deadline dates by state.
The countdown has begun: If you are a Tennessee resident and want to vote in the Nov. 4 presidential election, you must be registered to vote by Monday, Oct. 6.
Also, if you are not registered to vote in Weakley County by that deadline, you cannot vote in this county on Election Day and expect your vote to count, said Diane Cashon, the administrator for elections in Weakley County.
UTM students sometimes believe they can vote here because they attend college here, even though they are registered to vote elsewhere, she said. Depending on registration status, some of those ballots may become "provisional" ballots.
"A provisional voter is someone who is not listed on the voter registration rolls (voter signature list), but who claims to have registered to vote in his or her precinct of residence. The person may claim to have registered at a state agency office (driver's license, Health Department, Human Services, etc.)," Cashon said.
"A provisional voter is not someone who admits to never having registered to vote or admits to having attempted to register to vote at an address in a different county. The individual must have attempted to register to vote in his or her county of residence before the voter registration deadline in order for provisional voting to apply."
If, however, you already are registered in Weakley County or your home county in Tennessee, your voting options include traveling home to vote on Nov. 4, or taking advantage of early voting, available from Oct. 15-30. If you registered to vote in person, you may vote in person on Election Day, vote in person during the early voting period, or vote by mail, often called absentee voting.
If you registered to vote by mailing in an application, Cashon said, keep in mind that Tennessee requires you to vote in person the first time you vote. In subsequent elections, you may take advantage of voting by mail-in ballot.
All students who registered to vote in Weakley County during the ongoing campus voter drives, or through other area venues, are considered mail-in registrations, Cashon said, so those students must vote in person. If you live on campus, you will vote at Trinity Presbyterian Church, at 145 Hannings Lane and across the street from University Village, on Election Day. For those who live off campus, you will vote at the Buster Williams Fire Station, Vincent Implements or the First United Methodist Church in Martin.
If you are unsure where to vote, either in Weakley County or your home county, check your voter registration card or go to http://state.tn.us/sos/election/registration.htm. This Web site provides a wealth of information on voting requirements, and you can use the last four digits of your Social Security number to find out your current voting status.
For many traditional-age (18-24) college students, this will be the first presidential election in which they cast ballots, which is why it's so important that students understand how and when to register to vote, and then where to actually vote, Cashon said.
To register to vote in Tennessee, you must be at least 18 years old before the date of the election, must be a Tennessee resident, must not have been convicted of a felony, or must have had your full rights of citizenship restored. If you would like to register by mail in your home county, simply go to www.tennesseeanytime.org and click on Register to Vote. Download the application, fill it out, then deliver, mail or fax it to your home county's election commission office. You can also download a registration form from http://state.tn.us/sos/election/registration.htm.
If you plan to register to vote in Weakley County and have not yet participated in one of the voter drives, remember that you may also register at the County Clerk's Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Safety (motor vehicles division), the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Register of Deeds Office, all in Dresden.
Early voting in Weakley County is available from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. to noon each Saturday, at the Election Commission Office in Dresden, 231 S.Wilson St., Suite 106.
If you wish to vote by mail in Tennessee, you must write a letter to your home county election commission office to request a ballot. The letter must contain your name; permanent home address; Social Security number; the address where the ballot is to be sent (school/town address); elections in which you want to vote; the reason you wish to vote absentee; and your signature. An example of a reason would be: "I am going to (school name) in Martin, Tenn., and will not be home during early voting or on Election Day."
For more information on how to contact your home county's Election Commission Office (within Tennessee only), go to http://tnsos.org/elections/election_commissions.php. Click on your county on the map, or use the drop-down menu to select your county and get the mailing address you need to send in your registration form or request a ballot.
To register to vote in a state other than Tennessee, or in the District of Columbia, visit www.vote411.org/bystate.php to find out more information on registration deadlines and other voting requirements.
Click here for a PDF list of state election Web sites for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The countdown has begun: If you are a Tennessee resident and want to vote in the Nov. 4 presidential election, you must be registered to vote by Monday, Oct. 6.
Also, if you are not registered to vote in Weakley County by that deadline, you cannot vote in this county on Election Day and expect your vote to count, said Diane Cashon, the administrator for elections in Weakley County.
UTM students sometimes believe they can vote here because they attend college here, even though they are registered to vote elsewhere, she said. Depending on registration status, some of those ballots may become "provisional" ballots.
"A provisional voter is someone who is not listed on the voter registration rolls (voter signature list), but who claims to have registered to vote in his or her precinct of residence. The person may claim to have registered at a state agency office (driver's license, Health Department, Human Services, etc.)," Cashon said.
"A provisional voter is not someone who admits to never having registered to vote or admits to having attempted to register to vote at an address in a different county. The individual must have attempted to register to vote in his or her county of residence before the voter registration deadline in order for provisional voting to apply."
If, however, you already are registered in Weakley County or your home county in Tennessee, your voting options include traveling home to vote on Nov. 4, or taking advantage of early voting, available from Oct. 15-30. If you registered to vote in person, you may vote in person on Election Day, vote in person during the early voting period, or vote by mail, often called absentee voting.
If you registered to vote by mailing in an application, Cashon said, keep in mind that Tennessee requires you to vote in person the first time you vote. In subsequent elections, you may take advantage of voting by mail-in ballot.
All students who registered to vote in Weakley County during the ongoing campus voter drives, or through other area venues, are considered mail-in registrations, Cashon said, so those students must vote in person. If you live on campus, you will vote at Trinity Presbyterian Church, at 145 Hannings Lane and across the street from University Village, on Election Day. For those who live off campus, you will vote at the Buster Williams Fire Station, Vincent Implements or the First United Methodist Church in Martin.
If you are unsure where to vote, either in Weakley County or your home county, check your voter registration card or go to http://state.tn.us/sos/election/registration.htm. This Web site provides a wealth of information on voting requirements, and you can use the last four digits of your Social Security number to find out your current voting status.
For many traditional-age (18-24) college students, this will be the first presidential election in which they cast ballots, which is why it's so important that students understand how and when to register to vote, and then where to actually vote, Cashon said.
To register to vote in Tennessee, you must be at least 18 years old before the date of the election, must be a Tennessee resident, must not have been convicted of a felony, or must have had your full rights of citizenship restored. If you would like to register by mail in your home county, simply go to www.tennesseeanytime.org and click on Register to Vote. Download the application, fill it out, then deliver, mail or fax it to your home county's election commission office. You can also download a registration form from http://state.tn.us/sos/election/registration.htm.
If you plan to register to vote in Weakley County and have not yet participated in one of the voter drives, remember that you may also register at the County Clerk's Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Safety (motor vehicles division), the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Register of Deeds Office, all in Dresden.
Early voting in Weakley County is available from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. to noon each Saturday, at the Election Commission Office in Dresden, 231 S.Wilson St., Suite 106.
If you wish to vote by mail in Tennessee, you must write a letter to your home county election commission office to request a ballot. The letter must contain your name; permanent home address; Social Security number; the address where the ballot is to be sent (school/town address); elections in which you want to vote; the reason you wish to vote absentee; and your signature. An example of a reason would be: "I am going to (school name) in Martin, Tenn., and will not be home during early voting or on Election Day."
For more information on how to contact your home county's Election Commission Office (within Tennessee only), go to http://tnsos.org/elections/election_commissions.php. Click on your county on the map, or use the drop-down menu to select your county and get the mailing address you need to send in your registration form or request a ballot.
To register to vote in a state other than Tennessee, or in the District of Columbia, visit www.vote411.org/bystate.php to find out more information on registration deadlines and other voting requirements.
Click here for a PDF list of state election Web sites for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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