The 2020 presidential election has brought a ton of confusion about how and when people can vote due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 election is unlike any other presidential election, as we are in the midst of a pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic puts great emphasis on social distancing and staying away from large gatherings of people in order to help stop the spread of the virus.
In a typical election year, large crowds of people will wait in line for hours in order to cast their vote. But this year, things look a little different.
If you are registered to vote, the next step is to see what type of voting your state offers; some allow you to request an absentee or mail in ballot, while others allow in-person voting either on Election Day or early in-person voting. If you are voting by mail, here are the deadlines by state.
If you are a college student from out of state, you should have requested and returned a mail-in or absentee ballot, unless you plan on voting in-person on Election Day in your hometown.
If you are an in-state college student from South Carolina, you have a few options – mail/absentee ballot, in-person early voting, and voting in the general election Nov. 3.
If you are voting in-person, make sure to use proper health & safety measures.
Many students struggled to find resources to help guide them with registering to vote and how to vote in this election.
“I was confused on how to vote this year especially since I’m from out of state and this is my first time voting in a presidential election,” says College of Charleston senior Marina Hilbert.
CofC senior Elizabeth Jarck had similar issues.
“This is my first year voting and even though I’m from South Carolina, I didn’t know when the deadlines were to register to vote, and how to vote with Covid still going on,” she said.
Get out there and vote!