Are you registered to vote? Every year millions of Americans don’t vote, either because the registration deadline passed them by, or because they don’t know how to register.
September 26, 2017 has been designated National Voter Registration Day and set aside to promote awareness of voter registration opportunities and to encourage eligible Americans to exercise this precious obligation to make their voices heard in the upcoming elections.
Voter Registration Facts
Your registration application must be postmarked or received in the Voter Registrar’s Office at least 30 days prior to any Texas election in which you plan to vote. To vote in this year’s Constitutional Amendment Election (on November 7), you must be registered by October 10. If you miss that deadline, don’t despair! You can still register at any time and vote in any election that takes place at least 30 days later.
Student voters may be uncertain about where they should be registered, since many have a family residence at one location but are living temporarily at or near the campus where they attend school. In general, you should be registered to vote in the county you consider your permanent residence. If you consider your parents’ address to be your permanent residence, you may register to vote in that county. If you would like to register to vote at your college address you may do so, but you should not be registered at both places at the same time.
If you’re registered in Texas but won’t be around to vote in person on election day, you may vote early by mail. If you’re registered in another state but live in Texas, you might be able to switch your registration to the Texas county where you currently reside; otherwise, ask the election office in your state about their absentee voting policies.
If you’re not sure where or whether you are registered to vote, you can search the Texas Voter Registration database or, if you think you might be registered in another state, search the Can I Vote database.
Registration Events at UNT
The UNT community and visitors can register to vote at two convenient locations on the UNT campus Tuesday. Deputy voter registrars will be available in the lobby of Kerr Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and in the lobby of Honors Hall from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
If you are not able to attend either of these events, you may schedule a more convenient time to register by visiting Room 155 in Willis Library or by visiting the Eagle Commons Library service desk in Sycamore Hall. Texans can also obtain a voter registration application online from the Secretary of State.
In addition to registering new voters, we can also help not so new voters with a change of address, information on mail-in ballots (both in Texas and out of state) and information on upcoming elections. We are also available to come to classes to talk about voter registration and register students at any time during the semester.
This event is sponsored by the UNT Libraries Government Information Connection, in partnership with the Eagle Commons Library and the Public Services Division of the UNT Libraries. It is free and open to the public.
For information about parking at UNT, see the UNT Transportation Services Parking Information page or call the Transportation Services office at 940-565-3020.
Would You Like to Know More?
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission provides tips, calendars, maps, and other information to help voters in every state of the U.S.
VoteTexas.gov, sponsored by the Texas Secretary of State, provides voter information resources for Texas residents.
VoteDenton.com provides up to date schedules, statistics, polling site locations, and other resources for Denton County voters. Use the Voter Lookup service to find out if you are registered to vote in Denton County.
The UNT Libraries Election Connection provides links to election information resources for the UNT community.
If you have any questions about Tuesday’s event or wish to learn about any other civic awareness events hosted by the UNT Libraries, please contact us at govinfo@unt.edu
Article by Bobby Griffith.
Image: National Voter Registration Day logo.
