Are you ready to vote? Here’s how you register

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Students can register to vote online, by mail or in person on Election Day.

Johannes Haasbroek, Editor-in-Chief

Students who want to vote in this fall’s presidential election on Nov. 3 must register before Oct. 13.

Only people who register to vote by the deadline may vote during the election.

Maryland residents who are U.S. citizens and are at least 16 years old may register to vote.

Students can register to vote online, by mail or in person.

Online 

Go to Maryland’s Online Voter Registration System and fill out the online form by 9 p.m. on Oct. 13. Voters must have a valid Maryland-issued state ID number or driver’s license number to register.

By mail 

Fill out and sign a registration application, print it out and mail it to the State Board of Elections at P.O. Box 6486, Annapolis, MD 21401-0486. The application must be postmarked by Oct. 13. Do not fax or email a registration application.

In person 

Although the Board of Elections urges voters to register by Oct. 13, it’s possible to do it in person at an early voting center or on Election Day at an election day voting center. You’ll need your state ID or driver’s license showing your current address.

Students said they have had both positive and negative experiences with registration.

“They tell you … what you need before you start the process, so you just have to gather that and then start the process online,” Icram Doku, a second-year computer science student, said.

But second-year business administration student Audrey Wais said she found registration intimidating “especially because I haven’t done anything formal before,” Wais, a first-time voter, said she did not have a license or state ID but was able to register using her Social Security number.

“Actually … figuring out how to do it without a state ID or license [was difficult],” she said. “Because a lot of the time things like that require [government ID]. It was kind of confusing at first.”

Voters who register do not have to re-register unless they move to another state.