Student Voting Guide

What College Students Need to Know Before They Vote

The 2024 general election will be the first time many college students cast a ballot in any political race.

Elections confuse first-time and regular voters alike, especially with the myriad of state-specific restrictions and rules. BestColleges’ Student Voting Guide aims to set you up with everything you’ll need to make your mark on this November’s election, which features the presidency and over 450 congressional seats up for grabs.

Dates and Deadlines to Know

Election Day is Nov. 5 this year, which falls on a Tuesday.

If nothing else, this should be your primary takeaway from this voting guide. Debra Cleaver, founder and CEO of the nonprofit VoteAmerica, told BestColleges that the biggest predictor of someone’s likelihood to vote is whether they know the election date.

It’s not enough, however, to know when the election will happen.

For many traditionally aged college students, the 2024 general election will be the first election they participate in. If that rings true for you, you’ll likely need to register to vote beforehand.

Voter registration deadlines vary by location. State deadlines are no more than a month before the election, so if you register to vote by Oct. 1, you’ll be ready to cast your ballot on Election Day.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia allow same-day voter registration, meaning you can register when you go to cast your ballot. Find your state’s voter registration deadline:

Register to Vote

You don’t need to wait for a fellow student to approach you with a clipboard to register to vote. U.S. citizens can register to vote online ahead of the 2024 general election, starting here:

Student Voting by the Numbers

Young voters (ages 18-29) have long been considered an afterthought among politicians. The cliche is that people under 30 don’t vote.

That’s not quite the case — at least not in recent elections.

The Center for Information and Research on Civil Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) calculated a 50% voter turnout for people under 30 in the 2020 general election. That was up from 39% in the 2016 election.

The youth vote may have been the deciding factor in races in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — all key battleground states.

White youths voted at the highest rate in 2020 (61%), followed by Latino/a (48%), Asian (47%), and Black youth voters (43%).

CIRCLE’s Youth Electoral Significance Index predicts that the youth vote will have the largest impact on the presidential race in Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Michigan in the 2024 general election.

Another cliche is that younger voters are apathetic, but Cleaver believes those claims are overblown.

A 2020 survey of young people found that of those who didn’t vote, nearly one-quarter (22%) said they wanted to but couldn’t. Barriers prevent young people from voting at higher rates than other age groups, such as the inability to get time off work or school (17% for young voters vs. 9% for 35- to 64-year-olds).

Know Your Voting Rights as a College Student

College students are not immune to voter suppression tactics, Cleaver of VoteAmerica told BestColleges.

Because many college students are first-time voters, she said, they can be susceptible to voting mishaps. Here, we break down some common hurdles that trip college students up and explain how to clear those obstacles.

Where to Register to Vote

First-time voters will need to register to vote before they can cast a ballot.

Forty-two states, plus the District of Columbia and Guam, allow you to register to vote online. North Dakota doesn’t require voter registration at all, which means the only states where you’ll have to register in person or through the mail are:

Cleaver of VoteAmerica said many states require an in-state driver’s license to register online. That means if you’re an out-of-state student who wants to register where your school is, you’ll likely need to do so in person or through the mail.

She stressed that college students have dual residency, meaning they can vote in either their hometown or where their university is located.

“I think you should vote wherever you think your vote will have the most impact,” Cleaver said.

You can contact your dean of students if you need to register to vote through mail. The dean should be able to print any documents needed and mail your registration to the local election office.

Even if you’re already registered, you may need to re-register if your address changed since the last time you voted.

How to Preregister to Vote

If you are currently 17 years old but will turn 18 before Nov. 5, you can probably register now.

Most states will allow you to preregister at any point if you are at least 17 years old and will be 18 by Election Day. Some states, however, are stricter about how far in advance you can preregister. In Alaska, for example, you can only preregister once your birthday is within 90 days. In Texas, you must be 17 years and 10 months old to register.

The National Conference of State Legislatures will show your state’s age restrictions.

Can I Use My College ID to Vote?

States have differing restrictions on whether a college ID is suitable for voting.

In some states, you don’t need to show an ID to vote. Most states do require an ID, but a college ID may not suffice. Moreover, some states will only accept a college ID if the identification comes from a public college or university, Cleaver of VoteAmerica said.

In states where a student ID won’t suffice, the nonprofit VoteRiders can help determine what form of ID your state will accept.

Voting Do's and Don'ts

If the 2024 election will mark the first time you vote, here are some do’s and don’ts to remember when you head to the polls.

Our Contributors

Written by Matthew Arrojas.

Edited by Cameren Boatner, Alex Pasquariello, and Darlene Earnest.