Maansi Kumar
Contributing Writer
Starting about a week before the Feb. 16, 2016 deadline for voter registration, numerous College of Wooster students took to social media to urge their fellow peers to register. Many students posted selfies while they waited in Galpin Hall, with captions such as “Go get registered today!” attempting to instill values of voter pride amongst the general student body here at the College.
Students posted statistics on their Facebook pages that implied that Obama had won his Presidential candidacy for the Democrats largely due to the fact that, at the time, 15 percent of the votes were cast by the youth, in contrast to the usual five percent of all votes cast by the youth.
What many students may or may not have realized during this process is that the Presidential Primary and State Primary Election day for Ohio is March 15, three days after The College of Wooster Spring Break begins. This means that most of the student body will not be in Wooster — or perhaps even Ohio — to cast votes on the Primary Election day.
However, this does not mean they cannot vote, nor does it mean that anyone would have to choose to stay in Wooster for an extra three days instead of starting to enjoy their break as soon as it starts. In such a case, students must cast an absentee vote, essentially an early vote, which is typically cast by voters whose circumstances may prevent them from attending the polling station to which the voter has been assigned on the day of elections.
In an effort to uphold the values of the Higher Education Act, The College of Wooster has made voting information accessible to all students on the campus. On the College’s website, Wooster.edu, if one types “voting” into the search tab, a new page opens to the official website for Wayne County Board of Elections, Votewayne.org. The homepage for this website lists all the viable dates for voters to cast in-person absentee votes for the Primary Election date of March 15, the first of which was Feb. 17. This means it began the day after the voter registration deadline. This website also has other resources relating to this election, including the 2016 primary ballots, a list of the certified candidates for the ballot and the issues on ballot, as well as a comprehensive document outlining the procedure for casting absentee votes. Voters must download and complete a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot found at www.fvap.gov, and mail it to the county board of elections at 201 Vanover Street, Suite 1, Wooster OH 44691.
Voters should note that Ohio prohibits electronic transmission of votes, meaning that ballots sent via fax or email will not be considered valid votes. The challenge for students will be channeling their enthusiasm into really following through and prioritizing their voting rights responsibly.