The right to vote is fundamental in a democratic society.
Lehigh University strives to be a politically aware and civically
engaged community, and one expression of those values can be
exercising your right to vote. The general election for President
of the United States occurs on November 6, 2012. In addition,
one-third of the U.S. Senate seats, the entirety of the House
of Representative seats, as well as Pennsylvania State House
and Senate seats and executive branch positions will all be voted upon.
In order to be eligible to vote in this upcoming general election,
you must be registered by October 9, 2012. We would like to make it
easy for you to register to vote in Pennsylvania, or obtain an
absentee ballot in your home state. As a college student you may
be eligible to vote in Pennsylvania even if you are classified as
being "out of state" based on your permanent home address.
As a Lehigh University student, you are eligible to register
to vote in either Pennsylvania or your home state, but not both.
The website VOTESPA
(http://www.votespa.com/
is an excellent web resource where you can find information about
voting as a college student including registration, the new voter
I.D. law, and absentee ballots. By visiting this website, you can
download the voter registration form to complete and mail in time
to be registered for voting in the November general election.
Also, once you've registered to vote, you can consult the VOTESPA
website to determine the location of the local polling site where
voting will occur on November 6, 2012. Your polling location will
be based on the address you registered with and all Lehigh on- and
off-campus addresses have polling locations that are within walking
distance of Lehigh's campus if you are register with your Bethlehem
address.
There is a new voter I.D. law in Pennsylvania but the very good news
is that your Lehigh student I.D. card can be used as your proof of
identification in the voting process since it has your photo on it
along with an expiration date.
As a final reminder, Pennsylvania voter registration forms must be
received on or before October 9, 2012 to be eligible for participation
in the November 6, 2012 presidential election. I encourage you
to register and exercise your right to vote.