‘Chart’ a Course for Registering, Voting This Election Season

Election Day is just over three weeks away. Unless you've been holed up in McKeldin's stacks for two years and blocking out the world, you know a highly consequential presidential race is entering its final stretch.

Do you have a plan to register and vote? And, no, it can't be to wander into the Stamp on Nov. 5 and ask how to cast a ballot for your out-of-state district.

Terps came out in force to vote in the 2020 presidential election, with 71.3% of eligible UMD students participating, up more than 10 points from four years earlier and significantly higher than the 66% rate at colleges nationwide, according to the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education.

TerpsVote, a nonpartisan initiative that aims to boost civic engagement at UMD, hopes to boost the number this year.

[‘Mobile-izing’ a New Generation to the Ballot Box]

But if you’re a first-time voter, the swirl of deadlines, residency rules and voting methods may be making you lose your sense of direction. Not to worry: Follow this flow chart to help navigate your role in the 2024 election.