Vote, fools!

Your guide on how to vote

Katie Pulvermacher / The Advance-Titan– Mark your calendars! Election Day is almost here and Lyft is offering 50% off up to $10 in ride credits to help people get to the polls. Enter code VOTE22 in the Lyft app. Offer available on Nov. 8 only.

Megan LaFond, Writer
November 2, 2022

Editor’s Note: Headlines are written by Advance-Titan editors. Staff writers are not responsible for any headline given.

You can’t help but know that an election will be held next week. You likely have been bombarded by TV, radio ads and social media ads and flyers in your mail.

You may think your vote doesn’t matter, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. According to Global Citizen, “American youth have one of the lowest voting turnouts in the world.” Yet, young people make up more than one-third of eligible voters, meaning that your vote does matter and can have a huge impact on election results.

Some local races are decided by only a few votes — so make yours a vote that counts.

We are just a few short days away from the election and knowing where to start can be a bit overwhelming for even the most seasoned voter. This semester, the UW Oshkosh Center for Civic and Community Engagement (CCCE) created voter resources to help ensure voters are prepared at the polls next week. Here are the steps to help you vote on Nov. 8.

In order to vote, you will need to be registered. A simple Google search of “how to register to vote” will lead you to myvote.wi.gov. Here you can search by using your name and birthdate to check the status of your registration.

If you are not yet registered, simply follow the step-by-step instructions to get registered. You will need to provide a proof of residence document, such as a valid Wisconsin driver’s license or state ID, a bank or credit card statement or other documents that include your name and current address. You can find the complete list at myvote.wi.gov.

You can also register on voting day at your local polling location, but be sure to plan ahead if you are short on time. When you head to the polls, bring your proof of residence document to ensure you can vote. Your TITAN ID is NOT an acceptable form of photo ID. However, you can get a free Voter ID from Titan Central in Reeve Memorial Union. More information can be found at uwosh.edu/reeve/titancard/voter-id/. Contact or 920-424-1234 with questions about getting a Voter ID.

If you are voting in another state, go to vote.org to check the registration deadlines.

Find your polling location

The second part of being well prepared for Election Day is figuring out where you are supposed to vote. The easiest way to figure out where you are supposed to vote is going to myvote.wi.gov. This website has a “Find My Polling Place” tab where you can enter your current address and it will tell you your exact voting location, including an address and map, as well as the poll hours. Just ensure that you have entered your address correctly as you can only vote at your assigned polling location.

In Oshkosh, it is also possible to vote early. Check out myvote.wi.gov for early voting and absentee voting information.

How to vote

Deciding who to vote for can be a daunting task. To be an informed voter means that you have put a level of thought into who you are going to vote for and have spent time researching political issues and the stances that candidates are taking on them. We have all received the ads in the mail, the texts from political parties and seen the ads online slamming each candidate, often filled with misinformation, which makes this an important step in preparation for Election Day.

The CCCE Fellows met to discuss voter resources and how students can use them to become informed. The site that got the best overall rating was myvote.wi.gov. This site allows the voter to look at their ballot and see which candidates are running. Each ballot will have candidates for national, state and local offices, but we are focusing on the three main elections in the UWO campus area. However, ballots may vary depending on location.

As a good place to start when determining who you are going to vote for, think about two or three issues that are important to you and how your personal values will inform your voting choices. Then research the candidates to see which ones support your stance on those issues. When doing this it can also be helpful to talk to others in your community about the election. It doesn’t need to be a debate over politics, but it can be a conversation that everyone will benefit from.

Research the candidates’ names and view their official campaign websites and related pages. Most often, when you head to a candidate’s campaign website, you will find their stances on all major issues, media releases and interviews with different agencies, but beware of misinformation.

Here are the official campaign websites for the main races in the UWO campus area:

Govenor/Lieutenant Govenor candidates:

Democrat: Tony Evers & Sara Rodriquez, tonyevers.com/

Republican: Tim Michels & Roger Roth, michelsforgovernor.com
Independent: Joan Ellis Beglinger, beglingerforgovernor.com

US Senate candidates:

Democrat: Mandela Barnes, mandelabarnes.com/meet-mandela-barnes
Republican: Ron Johnson, ronjohnsonforsenate.com

Assembly 54th District candidates:

Democrat: Lori Palmeri, palmeriforassembly.com
Republican: Donnie Herman, donniehermanforstateassembly.com

Other resources include:

City Information. Each city also provides valuable election information. Here are some of our local city pages:

City of Oshkosh: ci.oshkosh.wi.us/CityClerk/Elections.aspx
City of Fond du Lac: fdl.wi.gov/administration/city-clerk/elections/
City of Menasha: cityofmenasha-wi.gov/departments/city_clerk/voting_and_elections/index.php

What’s on the ballot for this election? There are many positions up for election. Here are some resources for you to review prior to the election:

To see what is on your ballot – myvote.wi.gov

To view candidate information, check out these resources: