Are You Registered to Vote?

Election day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012

You can register online using that banner as a link.  If you don’t want to do the online thing, here are links with information about how you can register in Pennsylvania and in nearby states:

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Delaware

New York

Maryland

Other State Locator

Want to register in person?  Temple Contemporary will be hosting a Voter Registration Extravaganza next week:  CofFREE Monday will happen ALL WEEK (Monday – Friday, October 1 – 5) with free coffee and voter registration and absentee ballot forms for all members of the Temple Community.  Then watch for information about the big election day party on Tuesday, November 6!

Did you know that Pennsylvania passed a voter ID law this year?  You may hear about it.  The good news is that your new Temple ID card (Owlcard) qualifies as a Pennsylvania voter ID, so if you don’t have a driver’s license and live in Pennsylvania, you’re okay to vote!

Those sites will also help you get an absentee ballot.  If you’re registered at your home address (ie, where your parents live) and you live on or near campus, you’ll need an absentee ballot to vote, and you’ll need to mail the ballot, usually before election day.  Different states have different requirements for when you must request the absentee ballot; they’re usually 1-2 weeks before election day.  If you register using your on campus address, remember that you’ll have to re-register if/when you move (and if you’re already registered at another address, you can re-register at your current address using the same forms as above).  If you register at your campus address, you will not be able to vote on issues/for representatives in your home district, so if that is important to you, you should register your permanent address and get an absentee ballot.

Not sure who to vote for?  Are you sure the candidate you’re supporting agrees with you on the issues that are important to you?  Here are some sites that ask questions and will match you to the candidate who most agrees with you:

ElectNext (lets you answer a lot of questions, and choose to skip those you don’t want to answer; includes fringe party candidates; provides arguments for and against positions in case you’re not as informed about an issue as you perhaps should be; but, requires you to log in with your Facebook or Twitter account).

I Side With (this site lets you choose much more nuanced answers when the yes/no doesn’t work for you, and includes fringe party candidates)

VoteSmart’s Vote Easy (easy to use and includes fringe party candidates, but does not allow nuanced answers)

Vote Help (does not include the fringe party candidates, but allows for more nuance in your positions)

SelectSmart (includes everyone who was a candidate or was talked about this year if you want to see how you stack up against Michelle Bachman, has some links to explain some of this positions in case you might not know about them.

Have you seen a commercial?  Not sure if it’s true?  Visit are some fact checking sites:

Politifact.com include the Obameter to let you know how Obama is living up to the promises he made when he ran in 2008 and the GOP Pledge-o-meter, which will tell you how the Republicans are living up to the promised they made in 2010

The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Fact Checker from our friends at the University of Pennsylvania

Washington Post Fact Checker

Do You Need Enrollment Verification For Your Student Loan?

Self Service Enrollment Verification

Current and All Prior Enrollment

Students may print a current enrollment letter using the TUPortal. When first logging into the TUPortal you will need to use your TU ID and password. Select the Student Tools tab and locate the Enrollment Verification button under the Records channel.

Enrollment Verification takes you directly to the National Student Loan Clearinghouse (NSC) website. Temple University has authorized NSC to provide information on your current and past enrollment status (full-time or part-time), dates of attendance, degrees sought or awarded, and program of study.

If you do not have a letter available or the desired term is not indicated once you enter this site, it may be that your information has not yet been sent to the NSC. The NSC receives information from Temple University 30 days prior to the start of each term and at the close of each month until the term is complete.

Students who require additional verification information not found through the NSC or require a form be completed should contact the appropriate records office for specific instructions.

Undergraduate and Graduate

Student Loan Verification

Students’ enrollment for loan purposes is verified to the National Student Loan Clearinghouse on a regular schedule during each semester. The Clearinghouse then automatically updates your status with all of your lenders.

If your lender does send a deferment form to you and insists the form be completed, please sign it as required (borrower’s signature) and forward to the Office of the University Registrar. We will then send it to the Clearinghouse in order for them to update the lender. You may also verify your enrollment status by going to the National Student Clearinghouse website. If you have any questions, you may contact them directly at 703-742-7791.