On The Edge News

By Marissa Ramirez

The Fall 2018 general election will take place Nov. 6. With many Edgewood College students voting on their own for the first time, it is important to know how the voting process works while away at college.    

Edgewood College was recently placed on Washington Monthly magazine’s list of “58 Best Colleges for Student Voting,” along with the UW-Madison, Harvard University, Northwestern University, and others. https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/september-october-2018/americas-best-colleges-for-student-voting/ 

Dean Pribbenow, vice president for academic affairs, said Edgewood College prides itself on providing students with the best resources to exercise their rights through voting. 

“We have an abiding commitment to educating our students to become informed, engaged citizens,” he said, “and voting is one of the most fundamental expressions of our responsibilities.”    

The college gives students numerous opportunities for participating in the upcoming election with the convenience of staying on campus.  

For students who may not be able to vote on November 6, Edgewood offers in-person absentee voting, otherwise known as early voting. Early voting will take place on campus a few weeks earlier than the election.   

For students who will vote on the day of the election, a shuttle will be provided for travel to and from the nearest poll at Wingra School. The polls at this location will be open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.. The shuttle pickup and drop-off will be in front of Sonderegger Science Center.  

Any student who is a Wisconsin resident can register as a voter online at myvote.wi.gov. This site also allows Wisconsin residents who are unsure if they are registered to check their voter status.  

Students who attend Edgewood who are from out of state can also register at myvote.wi.gov, unless they intend on voting in their home state. This site also has several other helpful features like updating voter information, learning about candidates, and more information on absentee voting.    

Oliver Soler, who chairs Edgewood’s College Democrats, said, “Our goal this fall is to build excitement among the student body about the upcoming midterm elections.” Edgewood’s chapter of College Democrats is a student organization designed to get students involved in political dialogue and activity on campus. Currently, there is no Republican chapter at Edgewood.