Vote early, avoid the rush: Students should take advantage of one-stop early voting

One-stop early voting for the 2009 municipal elections in Chapel Hill will begin on Monday at Morehead Planetarium.

Students should take advantage of the opportunity to quickly and conveniently cast their votes for mayor, Town Council and Board of Education before Election Day on Nov. 3.

It is up to the student population to make sure that these local officials address issues that link the town and the University.

One-stop early voting makes the democratic process more accommodating because it allows people to fit voting into their schedule at any time during the day, two weeks before the election.

In Orange County, early voting is conducted at the Board of Elections office in Hillsborough, Carrboro Town Hall and the Morehead Planetarium.

 The Morehead location saw quite a bit of activity during the 2008 early voting period, with an estimated 12,000 student voters coming in over the course of two weeks.

Most Election Day voting locations are not in walking distance from campus. But having an early voting site at Morehead Planetarium, right off Franklin Street, makes the process more accessible to students who do not have time to drive or take a bus off campus during the day.

Early voting also helps those who would like to vote but did not register by the 25-day deadline.

Voting on Election Day is not allowed if people missed the deadline for registration, but during the early voting period, these people can go to the polling site, register to vote and cast their ballots immediately afterward.

Having an early voting site on campus is an amenity for students that they should not waste.

Early voting makes it easy for us to have our voice represented in Chapel Hill.

So students should go to Morehead Planetarium during the early voting period and let their voices be heard.