Texas state Sen. Juan 'Chuy' Hinojosa looks at maps on display before a Senate Redistricting committee hearing in Austin, Texas. Many BYU students are from Texas and can vote by registering for an absentee ballot through their state's website. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Many BYU students come to Provo from out of state. They often bring with them a pride for their home state and a desire to move away from Utah after graduation. This can be a problem when it comes to election time.
Only those registered to vote can participate in the elections. Many students don't register to vote in Utah because they don't plan on staying here after they finish school. Without going through the process of registering to vote in Utah, some students think they are disqualified from voting.
There are ways to submit a vote in one's home state while living in Utah. The five most prevalent feeder states for BYU are California, Washington, Idaho, Texas and Arizona. All the details needed to vote in those states from the comfort of BYU contracted housing can be found below:
California: California's vote-by-mail application is online. For the upcoming presidential election, this application must be turned in by November 1. The ballot will then be mailed to your Utah residence.
Washington: Registered Washington voters can add a mailing address to their profiles here. A ballot can then be mailed to them wherever they live. This change must be made by October 10.
BYU students from outside of Utah can visit their state's website in order to obtain an absentee ballot without registering as a voter in Utah. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Idaho: Students from Idaho can find an absentee ballot application here. The application can then be mailed or faxed back to state officials. The deadline for Idaho voters is six days before the election.
Texas: The application to vote by mail in Texas is found online also. This application must be received 11 days before the election.
Arizona: Students from Arizona can request early voting ballots from their county recorder's website. These requests must be received 27 days before the election day.
There are ways for all students to participate in the election. For information regarding states not specifically mentioned, visit that state's Secretary of State website.