Student Affairs

2018 General Election: What students need to know

Penn State students have a choice to register and vote at their current school address in Pennsylvania or their prior home address. To decide where to vote, students can consider where they feel most informed about local issues, where they spend the majority of their time and where it would be easier to vote based on the timing of the election. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 2018 General Election will be held Nov. 6, and Penn State encourages all students to make their voice heard and practice their right as a citizen and vote.

Polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., with the HUB-Robeson Center serving as the polling place for students living in Residence Halls. Students living off-campus can confirm their polling place by visiting the State College precinct map online or at a table on the first floor of the HUB-Robeson Center.

On polling day, there will be election-related activities in the HUB-Robeson Center and the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) and LION Caucus will be available to answer questions related to the election.

Voters will choose the following along with numerous other state, county and local positions:

  • U.S House of Representatives: 435 members
  • U.S Senators: one-third or 34 out of 100
  • State governors: more than two-thirds or 36 out of 50
  • State legislators: more than 6,000 nationwide

To view current registration status students can visit vote.org.

Absentee ballots are available to those, including college students, who are unable to make it to their designated voting district where they are registered. The ballot is then sent in the mail and must be sent back to the proper county election office. Further information can be found online about absentee ballots and their process.   

If voters need a ride to their polling place, Lyft is offering 50 percent off a ride to or from any polling location with the code, VOTEPA2.

In this case, to vote in the General Election you do not need to be registered with a specific political party and may vote for whichever candidates you choose.

Penn State is participating in the Big Ten Voting Challenge to increase voter registration and turnout amongst college students on all 14 Big Ten campuses. After the 2018 election, two universities will receive trophies – one for the highest eligible voter turnout an one with the most improved turnout in comparison to 2014.  

This year, Penn State will be participating in the Big Ten Voting Challenge with other Big Ten schools. The challenge is a nonpartisan initiative that seeks to increase voter registration and turnout amongst college students on all 14 Big Ten campuses. After the 2018 election, two universities will receive trophies – one for the highest eligible voter turnout and one for the most improved turnout in comparison to 2014.

A way for students to keep themselves informed about the upcoming election and its candidates is to take advantage of the Student Newspaper Readership program. The program provides students with free access to reliable news outlets like The New York Times, USA TODAY and local papers as well.

Students can also access websites like BallotReady, Ballotpedia or VoteSmart to research nonpartisan information on each candidate’s profiles and position on major issues like health care or foreign affairs.

If students feel unsure of who to vote for in a certain office the option of leaving that category blank is an option, as all other votes on the ballot will still be counted.

To learn more, students can visit the Student Affairs voter registration website. 

Last Updated October 29, 2018

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