Last updated: October 4, 2024

Student voters

College students can choose where to register and vote. This is because college students have dual residency, both back home and on campus. You can register back home using your parents’ address, or you can register at school using your campus address. The choice is yours. At VoteAmerica, we strongly recommend registering to vote with your campus address. This will allow you to vote in-person, either during the early voting period or on Election Day. Otherwise, you will either need to go back home to vote, or you will need to vote by absentee ballot. Neither process is complicated, but both are more complicated than simply registering to vote on campus.

Same day registration

In some states, you can register to vote on Election Day. This is called “same day registration” and it’s great. All you need to do is show up with ID that proves your identity (your name and date of birth) and your in-state residency. If you have an in-state driver’s license, that’s great! If not, bring whatever photo ID you have, and then some official document that shows your name and address. Official documents including bank statements, utility bills, paychecks, campus tuition bills, or any government document that shows your name and address.

Skip ahead to your state to see if your state offers same day registration.

Absentee ballots

You can vote using an absentee or mail-in ballot. Absentee and mail ballots are the same thing. Both allow you to vote by mail, which is a safe, secure, and convenient way to vote. Every state will let you vote by mail if you have a valid excuse for not voting in person, such as being away at college. But almost all states now offer “no-excuse absentee voting” — which means that any registered citizen can vote by mail. Voting by mail is easier than people think it is:

Request your mail-in ballot
Receive your mail-in ballot
Return your mail-in ballot by the deadline

We’ll guide you through every step of the absentee ballot and vote by mail process. Also if anyone asks you: absentee ballots and vote by mail are the same exact thing!

Request an absentee ballot.

Early voting

You can take advantage of early voting and cast a ballot before Election Day. Early voting takes place in person before Election Day. Early voting is great: you can vote on a weekend, and you’ll be helping to keep lines shorter on Election Day. Check out early voting locations, hours, calendars, and guidelines here.

Election Day voting

Voting on Election Day remains the most popular way to vote. And it’s straightforward.

Find out where to vote. In almost all states you’ll need to go to your designated polling place. It’s not the end of the world if you go to the wrong one, but if you do, you’ll have to vote a provisional ballot.
Bring the right ID with you. There are federal voter ID laws and state voter ID laws. The easiest way to meet both is to bring your in-state driver’s license or state ID card with you. If you don’t have one, it’s best to bring one government issued photo ID, and another official document that shows your name and current residential address. An “official document” includes a recent utility bill, bank statement, pay stub, residential lease, college tuition invoice, or any other government document that shows your name and address. If you don’t have proper ID, you’ll have to vote a provisional ballot.

About this information

Student ID information is courtesy of VoteRiders and used with their permission (2022).

If anything on this page is incorrect, please fill out this form.

State by state information

State	Same day registration during early voting?	Same day registration on Election Day?	Early voting dates	Student ID accepted for identification?
Alabama	No	No	Early voting starts: N/A Early voting ends: N/A	Yes. You can use a student ID from a college or university in Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools).
Alaska	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 15 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Alaska accepts student ID that has a photo and is unexpired. It may be issued from any state.
Arizona	No	No	Early voting starts: 27 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 4 days before Election Day	No. Arizona will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Arkansas	No	No	Early voting starts: 15 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Must be issued by an accredited postsecondary education institution in the State of Arkansas
California	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 29 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. California accepts 1) any student ID with photo or 2) student ID that is issued by a governmental agency having your name and address that is dated since Nov 8, 2022.
Colorado	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 15 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Must have a photo and be issued by an institute of higher education in Colorado
Connecticut	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 15 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 2 days before Election Day	Yes. Connecticut allows student ID when it shows your name and one of the following: address, signature, or photo. However, if it your first time voting, you may be required to present a current and valid photo identification that shows your name and address. It may be issued from any state.
Delaware	No	No	Early voting starts: At least 10 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 2 days before Election Day	Yes. Delaware allows student ID if it has your photo or signature on it. It may be issued from any state.
District of Columbia	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 8 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 2 days before Election Day	No. District of Columbia will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Florida	No	No	Early voting starts: 10 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day	Yes. Florida allows student ID when it has your signature. It may be issued from any state.
Georgia	No	No	Early voting starts: 21 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 4 days before Election Day	Yes. Must be a student ID from a Georgia public College or University on this list: https://sos.ga.gov/page/georgia-colleges-and-universities
Hawaii	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 10 business days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	No. Hawaii will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Idaho	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 15 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 4 days before Election Day	No. A student ID card from an Idaho educational institution is no longer considered valid identification to vote after December 31, 2023.
Illinois	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 40 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	No. Illinois will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Indiana	No	No	Early voting starts: 28 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Indiana will accept any ID as long as it meets the following four requirements. (1) Display your photo. (2) Display your name, and the name must conform to your voter registration record. (3) Display an expiration date and either be current or have expired sometime after Nov 3, 2022. (4) Be issued by the State of Indiana or the U.S. government
Iowa	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 20 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Must be a current student photo ID that contains valid expiration date issued by Iowa high school or college. If it does not show your residence address, you must also provide proof of residency in the form of a document that includes your name and current address that is current within 45 days.
Kansas	No	No	Early voting starts: 20 days before the election Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Must be a student photo ID issued by an accredited postsecondary education institution in Kansas
Kentucky	No	No	Early voting starts: 5 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day	Yes. Kentucky allows student ID from the United States that shows your photo and name.
Louisiana	No	No	Early voting starts: 18 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 7 days before Election Day	Yes. Louisiana allows student ID that includes your name, photo, and signature. It may be issued from any state.
Maine	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 30 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 5 days before Election Day	Yes. Maine will accept a student ID from a state-approved public or private school or institute of higher education in Maine.
Maryland	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 12 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 5 days before Election Day	Yes. Maryland accepts a current and valid photo student ID. It may be issued from any state.
Massachusetts	No	No	Early voting starts: 17 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 4 days before Election Day	Yes. Massachusetts will accept a student ID that has your name and the address at which you are registered to vote.
Michigan	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 9 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 2 days before Election Day	Yes. Michigan allows an unexpired student ID with photo. It may be issued from any state.
Minnesota	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 46 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Must be a photo ID (can be expired) issued by a Minnesota university, college, technical college, or high school plus an approved document showing your name and address listed here https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/register-to-vote/register-on-election-day/
Mississippi	No	No	Early voting starts: N/A Early voting ends: N/A	Yes. Must be issued by a university, college, community or junior college accredited by Mississippi
Missouri	No	No	Early voting starts: 14 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	No. Missouri will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Montana	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 30 days before the election Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes, a current and valid student ID is an acceptable form of identification.
Nebraska	No	No	Early voting starts: 30 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Nebraska accepts student ID from any college or university in Nebraska. The ID must be current and have your name and photo.
Nevada	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 17 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 4 days before Election Day	Yes. Must be a current, valid photo student ID issued by an institution of higher education in Nevada.
New Hampshire	No	Yes	Early voting starts: N/A Early voting ends: N/A	Yes. Must be a photo ID from accredited and approved institutions in New Hampshire listed here.
New Jersey	No	No	Early voting starts: 10 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 2 days before Election Day	Yes. New Jersey allows student photo ID from any state. It must be valid and current.
New Mexico	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 28 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day	Maybe. Your Local Election Official in New Mexico has final say. Find them here: https://www.voteamerica.com/leo. If they accept student ID, it must show your name and address of person (the address is not required to match the address on your voter registration).
New York	No	No	Early voting starts: 10 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 2 days before Election Day	Yes. New York accepts student photo ID with your name and address. If your student photo ID does not have address, whether it is acceptable will be decided by your county's Local Election Official. Find them here: https://www.voteamerica.com/leo
North Carolina	Yes	No	Early voting starts: 19 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day	Yes. North Carolina accepts a college or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections .
North Dakota	No	No	Early voting starts: Varies by county Early voting ends: Varies by county	No. North Dakota will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Ohio	No	No	Early voting starts: 28 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 2 days before Election Day	No. Ohio will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Oklahoma	No	No	Early voting starts: 6 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day	No. Oklahoma will not accept a student ID as a valid form of ID for voting.
Oregon	No	No	Early voting starts: N/A Early voting ends: N/A	No. Oregon will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Pennsylvania	No	No	Early voting starts: Varies by county Early voting ends: 7 days before Election Day	Yes. Pennsylvania accepts student ID with photo. It may be issued from any state.
Rhode Island	No	Yes	Early voting starts: 20 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Rhode Island accepts student ID issued by any accredited college or university, including student IDs issued by other states.
South Carolina	No	No	Early voting starts: 15 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day	No. South Carolina will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
South Dakota	No	No	Early voting starts: 46 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Must be a current student photo ID card an accredited South Dakota high school, college, or university.
Tennessee	No	No	Early voting starts: 20 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 5 days before Election Day	No. Tennessee will not accept a student ID as a valid form of voter ID.
Texas	No	No	Early voting starts: 17 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 4 days before Election Day	No. Texas will not accept a student ID as a valid form of ID, even if that ID was issued by the University of Texas. Don't worry: VoteAmerica plans on suing Texas over this nonsense.
Utah	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 14 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 4 days before Election Day	Kind of. You can use a student ID as long as it was issued by an accredited Utah high school, college, or university, but you'll also need to show another valid ID when voting.
Vermont	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 45 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Vermont accepts student photo ID when it is issued by a college or high school in Vermont.
Virginia	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 45 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day	Yes. Must be issued by a high school in Virginia or a school of higher education in the United States
Washington	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 18 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Washington accepts valid student ID with photo. It may be issued from any state.
West Virginia	No	No	Early voting starts: 13 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 3 days before Election Day	Yes. West Virginia requires your student ID be unexpired and show your photo. It may be issued from any state.
Wisconsin	No	Yes	Early voting starts: Varies by municipality Early voting ends: Varies by municipality	Yes. You can show a student ID when voting as long as it meets these four requirements. (1) Must be from a university, college, technical college accredited by Wisconsin. (2) Must show your signature. (3) Must show issue and expiration dates, and expiry must be within 2 years of issue date. (4) If expired you must show proof of enrollment.
Wyoming	Yes	Yes	Early voting starts: 45 days before Election Day Early voting ends: 1 day before Election Day	Yes. Wyoming accepts student ID as long as the ID was issued by the University of Wyoming, a Wyoming community college, or a Wyoming public school.