OSU Votes to host all-day voter registration event at Ohio Union Monday

OSU Votes’ table on the South Oval. OSU Votes frequently tables across campus to encourage students to register to vote. Credit: Audrey Coleman

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, voter registration deadlines are creeping up. For those who still need to register or make updates to their registration, Monday marks the deadline to register to vote in Ohio. 

OSU Votes — a student-led movement that aims to register, educate and encourage students to vote —  is hosting an all-day voter registration event at the Ohio Union Monday to secure any last-minute sign-ups. Student assistants will be on-site from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., ready to help any prospective voters take the leap to officially register. 

“We will be in the Ohio Union all day to help students get registered to vote before the deadline, as well as to assist with voter registration for other states and any other questions students have about any aspect of the voting process,” said Madi Barnes, OSU Votes’ coordinator of community and civic engagement for local service programs, in an email. 

Student assistants will be there to aid students in finding the registration method that best suits them, said Megan Rinard, assistant director of community and civic engagement in the Office of Student Life, in an email.

“Our students answer any questions related to the voting process, assist students who wish to register to vote or update their voter registration, and provide resources on absentee voting, Election Day, and beyond,” Rinard said.

Registering to vote isn’t a cut-and-dry process that’s uniform across all 50 states. Some states simply require an online application, such as Pennsylvania, but others may request a physical application to be sent to a district office before individuals are able to receive absentee or mail-in ballots. 

Ohio is a state that requires an application to be physically sent to a district office. More information about the process can be found on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.  

“The voter registration process is unique to each student,” Rinard said. “Depending upon where and how they decide to vote could mean different processes for voter registration. OSU Votes is there to answer student questions and help them navigate whichever process is best for them.”

According to The Civics Center, as of Aug. 24, only 38.3% of 18-year-olds living in Ohio were registered to vote. 

That leaves an estimated 100,000 or more adolescents unregistered, and at current rates, less than half of the state’s 18-year-olds will be able to vote in November, according to the center’s website. Plus, that doesn’t account for the influx of young adults coming to Ohio State, many of whom are not from Ohio. 

“Many students are new or first-time voters, so we want to help them to navigate the process of getting registered to vote and voting,” Barnes said. “It is important for students to have access to reliable and nonpartisan information and resources to help them as they prepare to vote in this election and future elections.”

Both Rinard and Barnes said they help organize informational events each semester, also working with student assistants to raise voter registration awareness throughout the entire year. 

“We host tabling events and workshops around each election cycle,” Rinard said. “However, we tend to increase our presence during presidential elections as more students are engaging, and we want to provide additional resources for the increased number of first-time voters.”

OSU Votes’ efforts to increase registration rates haven’t gone unreported. For the 2022 election cycle, OSU Votes was successful in registering 79.8% of eligible student voters at Ohio State. 

“According to our NSLVE data, we’ve continually increased our voter registration and voting percentages with each presidential election since 2012,” Rinard said.  

The registration deadlines for states other than Ohio vary from state to state. Some states may offer same-day registration, but unless a student is going home to vote in person, they can register for an absentee ballot through their county’s Board of Elections. 

“As Ohio State’s motto is ‘education for citizenship,’ it’s important for students to embrace and live out that motto in whatever way best suits them, and voting can be one of those ways,” Rinald said.