I hate politics, I really do. 

Everyone gets so heated about it no matter what side you’re on. I do it too, but I can also sit down with someone with the opposite views and have a civilized discussion with them. However, what I hate more than politics is voting. Now, voting is so important, so make sure you vote but trying to be able to vote is a total pain. 

I’m from Indiana, a predominantly conservative state. I was so excited to vote because this is the first election that I’ve been able to vote in since the last one was when I was 17. Now as a 21-year-old, I feel like I have a better understanding of the world than I did when I was 17, but a lot has changed within our country. This is why I was so happy to vote in my county, but it hasn’t been easy trying to get that step. I had to apply to vote by absentee ballot because my county did not have early voting open during fall break, the only county in my state that opened early voting late. Luckily, I got approved to vote by absentee ballot which was perfect because I could still be at school and have my vote count for my home state.

My ballot never came. 

When I called the county clerk’s office, I was told they couldn’t resend it because it wouldn’t get to me in time, but I could come in the next day and vote in person. If I was able to vote in person, I wouldn’t have applied to be an absentee voter. Now I’m only three hours away, which isn’t bad, but I had a previous commitment that I had to be at the very next morning, and I had a late-night rehearsal so I wouldn’t have gotten home until 3 a.m. at the earliest only to be back on the road by 8 a.m. to make it back in time. It just wasn’t doable for me. 

When I was on the phone with the clerk’s office, my only concern was that if I voted in Illinois, I wouldn’t be able to vote for any primaries in my state. However, before I could even finish asking my question about being able to vote, I was told, very rudely, that I couldn’t vote in Illinois because I’m a resident of Indiana. 

This is true, but to vote, you have to be a resident of wherever for 30 days. So, at the time, I was left with two options; drive back home and then back to school in less than 12 hours or not vote. There was no way in hell I wasn’t voting. I was crying on the phone to my mom because I had no idea what to do. I reached out to Laura Dean, who is in the poli sci department, and thankfully she was able to confirm that I am, in fact, able to vote in Illinois, I just have to register on election day. 

The crazy thing is I’m not the only person this has happened to. A lot of college students from my hometown who are out of state didn’t receive their ballots. People are trying to silence our voices, but it’s not going to work. We want change and we’re going to get it.