Where To Register as a College Student

As a college student, you can vote at your campus or home address — it's up to you! This article contains prompts guide your decision and an overview of relevant rules.

Overview

As a college student, you have the right to vote at your campus or home address.

College students, like all individuals, can register and vote in the community that they regard as their primary or main residence. This means that you have the option to vote at a campus address or another “home” address.

To help make the decision of where to register, here are questions to consider:

• Where will you be living at the time of the next election?
• Which address do you have more access to when it comes to voting?
• Which community do you want to advocate for and feel most connected to?
  

While the choice of where to register is up to you, there are some additional considerations that may shape your decision.

🏠 Residency Requirements

In states with "residency requirements," you must have lived at a location for a set amount of time (usually 30 days before Election Day) to be eligible to register there. Before deciding to register on campus, ensure you meet these requirements.

🪪 Voter ID Requirements

Many states require voters to show identification at the polls (and, less frequently, to request or return an absentee ballot).

Some, but not all, states accept Student ID as acceptable identification. Of the states that do accept Student ID, some accept ID only from in-state institutions, while others accept ID from any school in the US.

Be sure to register in a location where you'll be able to meet any identification requirements that exist. This might look like registering in the location where you have a Driver's License. Keep in mind that US Passports are accepted as ID in any state.

✈️ Physical Location

Make sure that you're actually able to access and cast a ballot from where you register.

Depending on how far you live from campus, if you register at "home" instead of school, consider voting by mail so you don't need to make a trip back to your polling place.

You can request a ballot be sent to you at your campus address, even if registered in another state. After filling out your ballot, you can mail it back to the election office.

If you're in a state that automatically sends mail ballots to registered voters (like California, Colorado and Washington) then you may need to request your ballot to a different location. Be sure to check where you're registered so that your ballot ends up in the same place as you.

Other Considerations

Here are some other things to keep in mind when registering to vote as a college student.

🏛️ Registering at a Campus Address

Your campus may provide you with a specific address to use for registration purposes, particularly if you live in a dorm without a typical 'street number.' You can't use a P.O. Box as a registration address.

🚚 Changing Your Registration Address

Update your registration anytime your "home" address changes, such as moving dorms or houses between academic years.

You must be registered in just one location at a time. It's not allowed to be registered in more than one place at a time.

If you decide to change your registration within the same state, update your registration address. If you are changing your registration to a new state, be sure to contact your former election official to cancel your existing registration.

🌎 Voting While Studying Abroad

Studying abroad during an election? As a US citizen, you can vote from anywhere in the world.

Leave yourself plenty of time to meet deadlines by requesting a ballot as early as you can to your FVAP, the Federal Voting Assistance Program, is designed for Service members, their families and overseas citizens.

Additional Resources

• Vote.gov: Voting As A College Student
• FindLaw: Away at College? How and Where Do You Vote?
• ALL IN: Out of State College Student Voting Guide