There are 10 weeks until the U.S. midterm elections. As students are getting back into the swing of school, it’s time for students to start think about voting on November 6th. Students have an important decision on where to vote because they are legally allowed to vote at either their home or school address, but not both. However, students, especially students from other states, should choose to vote here in Ames using their Iowa State address, rather than at home!

Politics in Iowa affect ISU students. Legislation and funding that is passed in the Iowa Legislature has a direct impact on Iowa State students. Students’ tuition is going up as a direct result of the cuts in state funding for the university. Other decisions that have been made in Des Moines that have an impact on college students include forbidding local communities from increasing the minimum wage, locking it at $7.25/hour, and attempts to restrict access to abortion and reproductive health care. Decisions made by local officials also have an impact on the community students live in, such as determining funding for mental health services and regulating rental properties. By voting here in Ames, students will have the chance to have a voice on these and other issues that impact students during their time here at Iowa State.

Elections in Iowa are competitive. Iowa voted for Barack Obama for president twice, but also voted for Donald Trump. The Iowa governor’s race in 2018 is rated as a ‘toss up’ and the election for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, where Ames is located, is one of only 24% of U.S. congressional districts rated as ‘competitive’ by the Cook Political Report. In addition, there are also plenty of other down ballot races that will be competitive as well. Voting using an Iowa State address means that a student is more likely to cast a deciding vote on issues they care about, rather than voting at home where the elections might not be as competitive.

Voting in Ames is convenient. Polling locations in Ames will be within walking distance of where a student lives, and polls are open from 7am to 9pm on November 6th. In addition, there will be early voting opportunities located on campus for students registered to vote in Ames. It is much easier to vote in Ames rather than figuring out how to absentee vote at home, or making a trip home on a Tuesday, when classes are still in session.

Ready to register to vote at your current ISU address? If you have an Iowa driver’s license you can register to vote online here: https://mymvd.iowadot.gov/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fVoterRegistration. If not, you can fill out a paper form here: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/voteapp.pdf and mail or bring it to the Story County auditor, or find one of the volunteers on campus who are registering voters and register to vote then. You will need to know the last 4 digits of your social security number or have an Iowa Driver’s License number ready. You can check to see if you are registered to vote at your ISU address by going here: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/regtovote/search.aspx.

Otherwise, Iowa allows same day voter registration, but it is much more convenient to register to vote ahead of time, rather than on the day of the election!