Think you can vote on Nov. 4?

In the past, some students who attempted to vote have been turned away because their current campus address did not match the one the state had on record. Many students forget that moving down the hall or to another dorm requires filling out a change-of-voter-address form, just like any other move. While registering to vote is a critical first step, keeping the registration valid is just as important. Being unregistered and having your registration out of date have the same effect: You will be unable to vote.

Additional means are necessary to ensure students know what they have to do to keep their voter registration valid. The campaign to ensure that registered voters can cast ballots should be as vigorous as the campaign to register voters in the first place. Tilghman, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne and the USG have the ear of the campus; they should send out multiple e-mails to the student body and make a concerted effort to ensure that students know of the requirements for completing a change of address form. P-Votes and other student groups that encourage voter registration, such as the College Republicans and Democrats, can also assist in this effort. The administration and the USG should also work with student groups and others to coordinate events where students can legally change their addresses.

As the Oct. 14 registration deadline approaches, the University must act quickly to ensure that students are not inadvertently disenfranchised. No election in recent memory has stirred up college campuses as much as this one, and students must know what they need to do to ensure they are able to vote on Nov. 4. And to students who are reading this - if you need to and have not yet done so, fill out a change-of-address form and submit it. You'll be glad you did.

Mary Marshall '10 abstained from voting because she is an active member of P-Votes.