University Park, Pa. -- With the 2008 presidential election a week away, Penn State students are urged to exercise their rights as a U.S citizen and vote.
Most students residing on the University Park campus will have an easy time finding their polling place to cast their ballots because it's on campus at the HUB-Robeson Center.
Joyce McKinley, Centre County Office of Elections and Voter Registration director, said there will be 46 voting machines at the HUB-Robeson Center and that all students who are registered to vote and who reside in University residence halls -- except for North Halls residents -- should vote at the HUB. The number of registered voters in Centre County is over 104,000 McKinley said, up about 14,000 from the primary election in April.
Based on voting precinct boundaries, residents of North Halls should vote at St. Paul's Methodist Church, 109 McAllister St. in downtown State College.
Students not living on campus will go to different polling places to vote, depending on which voting precinct is assigned to their mailing address. Newly registered voters should have received a voter ID card with their designated precinct on it. (However, it is possible that some voter ID cards were not delivered. Some cards are considered undeliverable by the U.S. Postal Service based on mailing address errors. Other cards may have been delivered to a student's permanent home address if that was what the student listed as the mailing address on the voter registration form.)
Those who are unsure of their precinct also can go to http://www.co.centre.pa.us to locate their polling place -- click on "Polling Places" then "Locator." Students just type in their name and date of birth and it will tell them their precinct. In addition to the locator, the site also has a sample ballot for every precinct in the county. The presidential primary election is not the only race on which Centre County residents will be voting.
Here are some voting tips from the Centre County elections Web site:
What to Expect at the Polling Place
When going to the polling place to vote, here are some guidelines to follow:
• Do not discuss any political subjects inside the polling place. As long as voters are not actively campaigning for a candidate, however, wearing buttons, stickers, hats and clothing endorsing one candidate over another is permitted.
• If you are unsure of the instructions, ask one of the election officials for clarification.
• When entering the polls, election officials at the table will ask your name, address and possibly your birthdate.
• McKinley said new voters will be asked to show photo identification, so remember to bring a photo ID with you. The Penn State student ID is sufficient proof.
• In primary elections voters also will be asked for their party affiliation.
• After determining that you are eligible to vote, you will be asked to sign your name in the poll book. When doing this, check your address listing. [If it is incorrect tell the official, who will give you a Change of Address Form. Street address is required; a P.O. Box number can be used for mailing purposes only.]
• After signing your name, you will be guided to an iVotronic (touch screen) unit. The poll worker will activate the ballot for you.
What to Expect at the Electronic Voting Machine
• The first screen that appears will be an "instruction" screen. If you make a mistake while voting, de-select the incorrect choice and select your correct choice.
• After you have reviewed all of your choices, you must select the "vote" button. Wait for the "Thank you for Voting" screen to appear before stepping away from the unit.
• A poll worker will give you a receipt for voting and an "I Voted" sticker.
For more information about 5th Congressional District candidates, visit WPSU-TV/.FM's candidate quiz and additional resource material online at http://www.wpsu.org/vote08.