Voter Registration & Voting Information
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012!
If you registered to vote using your Bryn Mawr College address, your polling place on Election Day is:
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA (please see the map below) The polls open at 7 am and close at 8 pm.
The Civic Engagement Office will be running an Election Day Shuttle between Pem Arch and the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church starting at 9 am and running until 8 pm on Election Day. The Election Day Shuttle will run in a continuous loop between the Arch and the polls--you do not need to sign up or reserve a seat. Simply show up and, if the van isn't there waiting for you, it will be along in a matter of minutes!
Please be sure to bring your Bryn Mawr College ID with you to the polls. First time voters WILL be asked to show ID. Your College ID is an appropriate form of identification.
Voter Registration
College students have two choices regarding where they register to vote. They have the right to register and vote at their college or university, registering using their College address, OR they may choose to register (or remain registered) and vote at their prior home address.
View Larger Map
Our polling place is within easy walking distance of campus, but the Civic Engagement Office will also provide shuttle service on Election Day to facilitate student voting.
If a student registers (or remains registered) at her prior home address she may either travel home to vote at her local polling place on Election Day or vote by submitting an absentee ballot prior to Election Day.
Deciding where to register and, ultimately, where to vote is a personal choice and one we encourage every student to make for herself. However, we do want all students to be informed about their options.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012.
Resources, Deadlines, and Helpful Links
Registering & Voting in Pennsylvania
To learn more about registering to vote in Pennsylvania and to download a Pennsylvania voter registration form, please click HERE.
The deadline for submitting your voter registration form in Pennsylvania is:
October 9, 2012.
PA voter registration forms must be filled in completely. Make sure to include your Bryn Mawr College mailbox number in your address—for example: BMC Box C-XXX, 101 N. Merion Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010. Deliver it either in person or by mail to the Montgomery County Courthouse, PO Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311
If you are already a registered voter either in Pennsylvania or another state and you would like to change your registration so that you can vote at Bryn Mawr's polling place, you will need to re-register using your College address. Download the PA Voter Registration form using the link above, check the box marked "Change of Address" in Section # 2 and make sure to complete Sections 8a and 8b, filling in your previous address.
To confirm your status as a registered voter in Pennsylvania, please click HERE.
Registering & Voting Using an Absentee Ballot
To learn more about registering to vote in your home state and submitting an absentee ballot, please click HERE.
For students who will be studying abroad during the Fall 2012 semester, please click HERE to learn about how to vote from overseas using an absentee ballot.
Please note that voter registration and absentee ballot request and submission deadlines vary from state to state, so be sure to pay attention to your state's particular regulations.
Pennsylvania's Voter ID Law: What You Need to Know
If you choose to vote in Pennsylvania, you will be required to provide an acceptable form of photo ID to vote at the polls. A Bryn Mawr College ID that contains a NAME, a PHOTO, and an EXPIRATION DATE that is CURRENT is an acceptable form of voter identification.
In SEPTEMBER 2012, the College will be reissuing all students new College IDs that will contain all of these elements and will be accepted at the polls.
Incoming first year students will receive their IDs during Customs Week.
Returning students must bring their old Bryn Mawr College Student ID with them when they pick up their dorm room keys and room assessment forms at the Ward Building on their designated return date. At that time they will turn in their old ID and receive a new Bryn Mawr College ID with an expiration date that complies with the 2012 PA voter registration laws. Students will not be charged a fee for their new card as long as they return their old card. If a student lost her card or misplaced it, the current lost ID replacement fee will apply.
To learn more about the PA Voter ID law and its impact on student voting, please click HERE.
If you have any questions about voter registration or Election Day, please contact Ellie Esmond in the Bryn Mawr College Civic Engagement Office (eesmond@brynmawr.edu).
