“The participation of young people across this country will be one of the determinants in who wins this election,” said The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Professor Daniel Tokaji, a nationally known election law expert.

Ohio’s voter registration deadline is October 11, so students wanting to vote in the Buckeye State must have their paperwork completed and sent to their local board of election by that date.

Students who have not yet registered to vote can do so through osu.turbovote.org, said Jake Cohen, a Student Life coordinator who advises the nonpartisan student group OSU Votes.

However, TurboVote requires the person registering to print out and mail-in the voting application — which means time is running out for students to use that option, Cohen said. “It takes a few days for the mailed application to reach the county board of elections, so students really should not try to register in the last few days that way,” he said.

A safer option for students still wanting to register are tables being manned by the nonpartisan OSU Votes during the last full week of voter registration (Oct. 3-7). On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of that week, OSU Votes will be registering voters from 4:30-7:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union Great Hall Credenza 1&2. Students can also register at the same location from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. 

Ohio State’s Moritz College Law Professor Terri Enns said she is urging students to vote because they will face the consequences of the election.

“It’s a good habit to be in,” Enns said. “You’re going to have to live under whatever the majority decides, so you might as well participate in it.”

Because there is a vacancy on a politically-divided U.S Supreme Court following Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February, the stakes have been raised sky-high this year, Tokaji said. “It’s more clear what is on the line in this election,” he said. “The future of the Supreme Court, and everything else in government, is at stake.”

Under Ohio law, students have a choice to vote absentee using their home address or register to vote where they live while attending college. “The key is to register where you want to vote,” said Enns. “Register where you consider to be your residence, and vote there.” And while it might be tempting for out-of-state students to register to vote in a swing state like Ohio, they should do so “only if they intend to stay in Ohio,” explained Tokaji. “If you have the intent to remain here, you can vote here.”

Students should be prepared with either a photo ID, a utility bill or another piece of official mail with their address on it when they reach their polling location. The proper polling locations for voters can be found on the Franklin County Board of Elections website: vote.franklincountyohio.gov.

Under Ohio law, Ohio residents with a valid driver’s license can use that to cast votes even if the address on the license doesn’t match the address where they are registered to vote. However, out-of-state students showing an out-of-state ID must have a utility bill or other documentation showing they live at the Ohio address where they are registered to vote.

For students living in dormitories without utility bills, they will be receiving an email from the University Registrar’s office on October 15^th, according to OSU Votes Advisor Cohen. That email will instruct students on how to update their school registration information with their new Columbus home address, and then print out that registration to use as proof of residency, he said.

Students who show up at the wrong polling location or who are not found listed in the polling book will still be eligible to cast provisional ballots, according to Enns. Those casting provisional ballots must show up at the Franklin County Board of Elections with proof of residency within a week in order to have their ballots counted, she said. “If you are sure you are in the right polling location, it’s a better option than leaving without voting at all,” Enns said.