Student Voting Rights

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment gives 18 to 21 year olds a voice in our democracy. Students who leave home to attend college should have the right to choose where they vote. In most states it is possible for students to make this choice, but the laws governing voting eligibility can be tricky, confusing, or downright restrictive. Students can be unfairly targeted by election officials or partisan challengers and often have trouble establishing residency where they live and attend school.

This guide explains the basic residency, registration, identification, and absentee voting requirements for student voters in each of the 50 states and the D.C.

HOW TO USE THE MAP – First, be sure to select “vote at school” or “vote at home” (your hometown or where you lived before moving to school) depending on where you plan on casting a ballot—the requirements will vary. Then scroll over your state to see what rules apply to you. Or select a category from the drop down to compare states across the country.

COLOR CODING – GREEN denotes relatively student-friendly laws; YELLOW means the standards are not impossible to meet, but only after few extra steps (learn more by clicking through to the state's complete write-up); and RED is for very restrictive laws, so read up and be prepared (also by clicking through).