The 2020 General Election is getting closer, and students are wondering how to register to vote.

This election will decide if Donald Trump will have another four years in the White House, or if Joe Biden will be elected. As of right now, Biden has a lead in election polls by 7.5%.

This year’s voting process can be a little shambolic to students due to the pandemic, but the election authorities have made this year’s voting process easy for Missouri residents. Director of the Election Authority for Saint Charles County, Kurt Bahr, stated that the number of people voting by mail has greatly increased due to COVID-19.

For the mail-in voting process, a student would have to fill out an application to request for a mail-in ballot by 5 p.m. on Oct. 21. Once their ballots are filled, they must send it back in a notarized envelope to the St. Charles County Election Authority office at 7 p.m. on Election Day (Nov. 3). 

“There are different types of processes for returning based on which type of ballot they are asking for,” Bahr said.

College students who are out-of-state residents are able to request an absentee ballot. According to the Missouri General Elections form, students must complete an application in order to receive a ballot. Once the students fill out the ballot, they can have the envelope notarized, if needed.

“We still have voting at the polls,” Bahr said. “You would have to have your I.D., stand in line, get your ballot, and vote!”

For the students that would want to vote at the poles, all polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Hand sanitizer will be available to Saint Charles County voters, according to the Election Authority. 

Face masks will be required for voters in Saint Louis County, but not for voters in Saint Charles County. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently reported that the poll workers should “act surprised” if voters ask them about not wearing a mask.

The running candidates for the 2020 Presidential election are:

Donald J. Trump representing the Republican Party

Joseph R. Biden representing the Democratic Party

Jo Jorgensen representing the Libertarian Party

Howie Hawkins representing the Green Party

Don Blankenship representing the Constitution Party

For more information about this year’s election, local election office information, and state voting requirements, you can visit the U.S. Vote Foundation.

For Missouri residents that still need to register, the last day is October 7.

For students who are out of state and wondering how they can register and vote by mail, Vote.org has a voting calendar with information about early in-person voting per state.