This election season, Kent State Today will feature a series of stories about voting on campus, sharing information about how and where to vote, first-time student voters, important event dates and deadlines.
Students attending the Flashes Vote Festival Sept. 17 on Risman Plaza enjoyed opportunities for learning about voting, registering to vote, eating a tasty beignet and receiving a free Kent State Votes T-shirt from Kent State University President Todd Diacon.
Diacon encourages all eligible students to vote in the upcoming election. Speaking with Kent State Today, he said, "Voting is an exercise of our civic duty, and we hold dear our right to do so in an atmosphere free of intimidation and fear, which, in turn allows us to celebrate this hallmark of our nation's democracy."
A Festival With an Important Purpose
Student organizations and community groups sponsored tables at the event, presented by Undergraduate Student Government. Students could learn how and where to vote and register to vote if they hadn't already, or fill out an application for absentee voting. This information is especially helpful for students living on campus or in Kent who come to Kent State from outside of Portage County or outside of Ohio.
Sept. 17 is both National Voting Registration Day and National Beignet Day. Students who signed a pledge that they would vote in the coming election received a free, freshly made-to-order beignet from the on-site food truck operated by Kent's Erie Street Kitchen.
Most of Kent State's current undergraduate student population will either be voting for the first time in the coming election or voting in their first presidential election. The student vote has added significance at Kent State. It was the tragic events on the Kent Campus on May 4, 1970, that directly influenced the U.S. government's 1971 decision to ratify the 26th Amendment, changing the national voting age from 21 to 18.
Important Dates and Deadlines
Oct. 7-11 is National Voter Education Week, and Monday, Oct. 7 is the deadline for voter registration in Ohio.
Oct. 8-29 are the dates when voters can vote by mail. Oct. 29 is the last day to request absentee ballots, mailed ballots must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 4.
Nov. 5 is Election Day. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m-7:30 p.m. Outstanding absentee ballots must be received at the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m.
For complete information about how to register, where to register and when and where to vote, along with important resources and links and all Kent State voting activities and events, visit Kent State Votes.
