UMaine UVote Urges Student Voting
The UMaine UVote get-out-the-vote effort is reminding students to vote in state and national elections from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the Memorial Union for students living on campus, and at various polling stations in surrounding communities. The University of Maine Division of Student Affairs suggests several websites to help students, many of whom will be voting for the first time, with information on where to vote, the process, qualifications for registering to vote and what the state and national decisions are, including a list of referendum questions.
Lauri Sidelko, director of UMaine’s Student Wellness Resource Center and coordinator of UMaine UVote, says she hopes to see at least 30–40 percent of the roughly 3,000 UMaine students in campus residency halls turn out to vote at the Memorial Union. Turnout in the past has fluctuated from 5 percent in a non-presidential election to 25 percent in a presidential election.
Off-campus students who live in Orono and are unsure of whether they should vote at the Ward 1, Precinct 1 Birch Street School location or Ward 1, Precinct 2 Orono Municipal Building site can find out through a state government website or the town of Orono website. All voting in Old Town, regardless of wards, will take place at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 5 Gilman Falls Ave. Unregistered voters in Maine may register to vote at their designated polling station up to and including election day. Registrants will need a photo ID and a piece of mail with an address.
For information and an explanation of referendum questions, go to the online Maine Citizen’s Guide to the Referendum Election. The New York University Brennan Center for Justice website has state-by-state information on residency and registration requirements. In addition, the Pollvault.com website has posted information on national elections.
Contact: George Manlove, 207.581.3756