What Students Need to Know for the April 2 Election

There is an election on Tuesday, April 2. The Pointer sat down with Pointers Vote Coalition to get the fast facts on what students need to know before heading to the polls.

Kalli Mikkonen is a political science major at UWSP. She is also the secretary of Pointers Vote Coalition and is a Democracy Fellow for Campus Vote Project. She provided answers to many questions that students may have about voting.

Mikkonen said that the following will be on the ballot for UWSP Students:

• City of Stevens Point: alderpersons from districts two, four, six, eight and ten.
• City of Stevens Point: school board positions, depending on the student’s address.
• Portage County: county board supervisors, municipal judge, and circuit court judges for branches one and three.
• State of Wisconsin: court of appeals district four.
• Federal level: presidential primaries.

Mikkonen also said that the following are ways for UWSP Students to register to vote:

• Register in person, at the polls on election day. In order to resister this way, a student needs to bring proof of residence and an approved Wisconsin Photo ID.
  • See here for information on proof of residence documents.
  • If a student is from out of state, they can get a free voter ID from the PointCard office, located at 601 Division St.
• Register online by March 13.
• Register in person at the City Clerks office, located at 1515 Strongs Avenue.

Mikkonen said the following locations are where students will vote on election day:

• Students who reside in South DeBot Quad and Hyer Hall vote in the DUC Encore.
• Students who reside in North DeBot Quad and Allen Quad vote at the Stevens Point Recreational Center, located at 2442 Sims Ave.
• Students who reside off campus can find their voting location at myvote.wi.gov. Click the tab that says “Find My Polling Place” and then enter your address.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 2.

Mikkonen said that an important piece of information to remember is that out-of-state students can vote in Wisconsin.

“Voting here just means you are voting here,” she said. Registering to vote in Wisconsin will not mess up things such as FAFSA and/or other legal documents.

Mikkonen said that there are a lot of benefits to voting.

“If you care about a policy or specific issues in the world, voting is one of your best ways to get your voice out there and be heard,” she said. Voting is also about choosing who makes decisions in our city, state, and country.

Pointers Vote Coalition is a nonpartisan group interested in ensuring the student voice is heard in local, state, and national politics. 

“We want to make sure that students know when to vote, how to vote, and make it a habit,” Mikkonen said.

The Pointers Vote Coalition tables every Friday from 11 a.m to noon in either the DUC or Champions Hall. Students can also join their SPIN page and/or send emails to [email protected].

Many voting questions can also be answered by going to myvote.wi.gov.

Jack Orlando

News Reporter

[email protected]