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The new UNC students' guide to voting on campus

	“I voted today” stickers are displayed at the polling center at the Center for Dramatic Art in Chapel Hill.

“I voted today” stickers are displayed at the polling center at the Center for Dramatic Art in Chapel Hill.

As incoming students prepare for their first year at UNC, they have to remember a lot of things – how to get to their classes, how to check in to their residence hall or how to find the closest coffee shop. 

One thing they might forget is how to vote on campus. 

Voting in a new city, or even a new state, can be confusing. Among other things, you must register to vote in the area and figure out where the closest voting location is. These obstacles might be part of the reason that college student voter turnout has historically been lower than other demographics.

However, in 2020, 66 percent of college students voted, a record-high. It was 14 percent higher than college students' turnout in the 2016 election, according to the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education.

Perhaps students are realizing that when you cast a vote, you wield the power to choose who represents your voice.

Midterm elections, like the one this coming fall, often have much lower turnout rates than presidential elections. Voter turnout among those aged 18 to 29 was 36 percent in 2018, according to the United States Census Bureau. 

These elections are arguably the most important because they designate local offices that could be decided by a margin of just a few votes. Local elected officials directly impact a college student’s life and community. 

Offices that represent Orange County that are to be decided in the 2022 statewide general election include the Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives, North Carolina Senate District 23, N.C. House of Representatives District 50, the third and fifth N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice seats, and the United States Senate. 

Voting information 

The statewide general election in North Carolina will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. UNC students can vote on campus at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 14 at 5 p.m. 

As a UNC student, you can register and vote in Orange County, but you can also remain registered in your hometown if you would prefer to vote there.

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, if a student registers at their university address, that registration cancels any previous registration.

On Oct. 20, one-stop, in-person early voting begins. 

Additionally, if you are registered to vote in your hometown and would like to still vote there, an absentee ballot is a good option. As long as you request an absentee ballot between Sept. 9 and Nov. 1, you will receive your hometown's ballot in the mail. The ballot must be returned to the voter’s county board of elections before 5 p.m. on Nov. 8. 

If you are registered to vote, you do not need to show your ID or any other form of documentation to receive your ballot.

@emmymrtin

@DTHCityState | city@dailytarheel.com

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Emmy Martin

Emmy Martin is the 2023-24 editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel. She has previously served as the DTH's city & state editor and summer managing editor. Emmy is a junior pursuing a double major in journalism and media and information science.