What do I need to know?
-- The primary election is Tuesday March 3rd, 2020
-- Out of state students can vote in their home state or in California elections, but may only be registered to vote in one location.
-- To vote, you must be: a US citizen, 18 years old on Election Day.
-- If you are 17, you can pre-register to vote and be automatically registered on your 18th birthday.
How Presidential Voting Works in the U.S.
Occurring once every four years, the U.S. presidential election routinely garners the most attention and highest voter turnout of all the various political elections. The process begins the spring before election year, when potential candidates declare their intention to run for the presidency.
As their campaigns begin, candidates participate in debates to clarify their platforms and defend their positions against other candidates in their political party. From January to June of the election year, the political parties in each state hold primaries and/or caucuses to decide their presidential nominees and the delegates who will represent them at the national conventions.
Over that summer, each political party holds its nominating convention, where the aforementioned delegates formally choose their presidential candidates.
On Election Day, Americans vote for their preferred presidential candidate. However, the overall popular vote does not determine the next president. As established by the country's Founding Fathers, the Electoral College grants each state a number of electors equal to the membership of its congressional delegation. These electors cast the votes that ultimately determine who becomes president.
Voting In California
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Online or postmarked by February 18, 2020
WHERE TO VOTE: The address of your polling place is on the back page of the county Voter Information Guide that your county elections official mailed to you. Polling locations will be set up at UCSD.
HOW DO I VOTE: You can either vote by mail or vote at your polling place. If you receive your ballot in the mail, you can either mail it back or drop it off at a polling place. To request a vote-by-mail ballot, your application must be received no later than 7 days before Election Day.
***BE AWARE: If you have not voted in California previously and do not have a CA drivers license, after you register to vote online you must print the Voter Registration Receipt and mail it to the county elections official. This must be postmarked by February 18, 2020.
Voting in California FAQ
Will voting in California affect my federal financial aid?
Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants and Perkins or Stafford loans or your dependency status regarding FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Will I lose my scholarship if I register to vote in California?
Generally, no. If you receive scholarship money from a state, county, town, or a private entity (i.e., an entity other than the federal government) you should confirm that residency in a particular place is not a requirement of the scholarship and/or that voter registration in California will not affect your eligibility.
Will registering to vote in California affect my driver’s license or car registration?
Registering to vote in California does not necessarily change your driver’s license and motor vehicle registration. However, as a full-time student in California, you may have to make these changes regardless of whether you register to vote in California. For more information, you may wish to contact the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Will registering to vote in California prevent my parents from claiming me as a dependent on their taxes?
No. Students are often told that registering to vote in a different state from their parents will make them lose their dependency status. This is not true. Where you register to vote will have no effect on your parent’s tax status.
Does being an in-state or out-of-state student for tuition purposes affect my right to vote?
No. You may choose to vote in your college community or back home regardless of your tuition status.
Voting In Your Home State
To make it easier for busy students to vote, the government allows them to send absentee ballots if they are still registered in their home states but are attending school out of state. By submitting your ballot by mail before the election, you can participate as an absentee voter, with no need to travel to your hometown polling location.
State by state deadlines for voter registration will vary. Click the button below to check out registration deadlines for requesting an absentee ballot.
Voting Research Tools and Resources:
Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
CIRCLE serves young voters in the U.S., especially those who are marginalized or disadvantaged in political life. The organization performs research that informs policy and practice with the goals of creating healthier youth development and increasing youth civic engagement.
National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement
NSLVE is the signature initiative of the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education at Tufts University's Tisch College. This study allows academic institutions to learn about their student registration and voting rates, as well as closely examine their campus climate for political leaning and engagement. More than 1,000 campuses around the country are already enrolled, which should help NSLVE create a database that contains nearly half of all U.S. college studen
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