California’s midterm election, which includes the Los Angeles mayoral race, takes place Tuesday. But USC students who missed the online voter registration deadline of Oct. 19 can still complete the same-day voter registration process at their local county elections office or any in-person voting location through election day, according to the California secretary of state’s office.
Vote-by-mail ballots can be left at the drop box at the USC Village Lot, which is located next to the parking structure entrance. On election day, all drop boxes will be closed at 8 p.m. Students can vote in-person from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Vote Center in the village meeting room UVN-1200. At the Health Sciences campus, the drop box is located at Hyatt House Hotel and the HSC Conference Center, according to university relations.
To be eligible to register to vote in California, students must be United States citizens and California residents. College students are eligible to switch their registration to California if they are already registered to vote in another state, according to the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder.
According to the secretary of state’s office, first-time voters may be asked for their IDs. Acceptable forms of ID include a California ID, a California driver’s license or a U.S. passport. If voters do not possess a valid form of ID, they may still cast a provisional ballot, which will be kept separate and will only be counted after election officials have confirmed that they are registered to vote, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Michael Lemos, director of voter education at VoteSc, said that students can go to the organization’s TurboVote page to find helpful information about same-day registration. According to Lemos, the process itself is easy, and the only information students need to find is the location of their closest polling place.
Some of the closest polling places to the University Park Campus are USC Village, John Mack Elementary School, Hoover Recreation Center and Ahmanson Senior Center.
“I can speak to what I did in the 2024 election. I just showed up to the California poll, and I told them I wasn’t registered, and they essentially give you everything you need right there to register,” Lemos said. “You just put in a few details and fill out a few forms, and you’re just able to vote right then and there.”
Lemos said he highly recommends USC students make their voice heard by exercising their right to vote.
“If you care about issues that affect you in this country, voting is really the only tangible way to address that,” Lemos said.
For students who may not be politically informed, Lemos recommended students research candidates’ platforms to see if there are any particular issues that resonate with them personally.
“Whether that’s abortion, whether that’s healthcare for all, there’s usually something that actually directly impacts you that you will care about,” Lemos said.
Lemos said that if students align with a particular political party, they can also find voter guides online which will include a list of all of the candidates who might match their preferences.
Polling places open on Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. According to the secretary of state’s office, if voters are in line when the polling places close at 8 p.m., they will still be able to vote.
Edited by Natalie Cerna