Are you registered to vote? The deadline is this Friday, Oct. 9, and it takes less than two minutes at ok.gov.

     If you are a student registered at home, Friday, Oct. 9 is also the deadline for moving your registration to Grady County so you can get to the polls here instead of having to drive back home.

     Registering or changing your registration is easy and takes less than two minutes at ok.gov.

     Thanks to University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma President John Feaver, no classes or meetings will be held on Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 3 —  so the USAO community can go to the polls to vote.

            One of the most important ways to be prepared is to make a voting plan. There are options for an absentee ballot and in-person voting. According to ok.gov, “absentee refers to a person who cannot physically be present at a voting center on Election Day.” Essentially mail-in and absentee are the same for Oklahoma, but mail-in refers to all ballots being sent through the mail. If you are going to ask for an absentee ballot, you have till Oct. 27.

Grady County Election Board Secretary Katrina Hughes said it should be a big turnout for the 2020 presidential election. To ensure your vote is counted, make a voting plan in advance to be aware if you need an absentee ballot.

Regarding absentee ballots, Hughes said, “You have to fill out an application and once we receive it, we have to verify all the information is correct. Once we approve that application, we are able to mail out a ballot.”

“Whatever address they’re registered under is where they’ll vote at,” Hughes said.

Regardless of where you will vote, you can find information that will help you make informed decisions, said Dr. Aleisha Karjala, professor of political science at USAO.

            Karjala said doing research can help students gather information about candidates and bills on the ballot along with other things to vote on for the specific county. She said the League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan group that has a local version of the 2020 OK Voters Guide.

Expressing your opinion and talking to your government as much as possible can make it more likely you will be heard and responded to, she said.

“Voting is your voice in a democratic political system,” Karjala said. 
 

Erin Lynch is a senior communication major from Yukon, OK.