People posing with props.

Voting and Democratic Engagement

UNLV Votes

Voting and democratic engagement is a core part of being an engaged community member. This page is designed to simplify the voting process by serving as a simple and comprehensive resource for registering to vote, learning about upcoming elections, accessing non-partisan voting resources, and getting involved with local nonpartisan engagement efforts. 

Register to Vote Through TurboVote

UNLV has partnered with TurboVote to provide all UNLV community members a platform to: 

  • Register to vote
  • Update your voter registration
  • Request an absentee ballot
  • Receive election reminders via text or email

Any paperwork that is mailed via our TurboVote site will come with a pre-addressed and postmarked envelope so you can easily drop it into a mailbox for return.

Sign Up for TurboVote

Make a Plan to Vote

Voting by Mail

As a student, you are entitled to vote in your home state or the state where you attend school. If you plan to vote in your home state, you’ll need to request an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots are used when the address where someone lives is different from the one where they are registered. Each state builds their own guidelines for voting by mail or voting absentee. In Nevada, you do not need a reason to vote by mail, and you are entitled to a mail ballot free of charge. 

Looking to vote by mail or absentee ballot in the next election?

Request an absentee ballot

Check the Status of Your Mail Ballot

The state of Nevada has partnered with BallotTrax to allow all voters to track the status of their mail ballot. You can sign up anytime – before or after receiving your ballot, before or after mailing it back or dropping it off, etc. – and receive updates via text or email about the status of your mail ballot.

Sign Up for Ballot Trax

Guidelines for Casting a Mail Ballot

During the 2020 Presidential Primaries, over half a million mail ballots were rejected nationwide due to validity issues such as not arriving on time or not being signed correctly. The following guidelines will help ensure your vote counts.

Nevada Mail Ballot Guidelines
  • Return your ballot on time. Ballots can be voted and returned immediately once they are received. You do not have to wait until a certain date closer to Election Day to vote your mail ballot. Voters have two options to return a mail ballot:
    • Ballots can be returned by mail using the provided postage prepaid ballot return envelope. In order to be counted, ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Election Day. Mail ballots that are given to a mail carrier or deposited in a Post Office receptacle prior to the last posted pickup time will have their ballot postmarked that same day.
    • Ballots can be returned in person at a ballot drop-off location. Ballots returned at a drop-off location must be dropped off prior to the polls closing on Election Day. All counties will have at least one ballot drop-off location. A list of all ballot drop-off locations by county can be found on the Nevada Secretary of State website. 
  • Use your ballot return envelope. Regardless of how a mail ballot is returned, it must be returned in the provided ballot return envelope. Ballots returned in any other envelope will not be counted. If needed, a replacement ballot return envelope can be obtained from your county election office. Only one ballot should be returned per ballot return envelope. If a ballot return envelope contains more than one ballot, none of the ballots will be counted.
  • Sign your ballot return envelope. All ballot return envelopes must be signed by the voter. This signature is used to confirm the voter's identity, so if your ballot return envelope is not signed your ballot will not be counted. 
Nevada Secretary of State Guidelines

Early Voting in Person

We recommend voting early whenever possible for the following reasons: 

  • It’s more flexible – you can schedule your vote around your life instead of scheduling your life around voting. 
  • The lines are typically shorter – with access to early voting, lines are typically shorter than Election Day polling locations. This also means you’re likely to come into contact with fewer people.
  • You’ll help reduce crowds at polling locations on Election Day. 
  • If something goes wrong, you’ll have time to correct it and have your vote counted. 

Early voting in Nevada is easy, and is available to every voter. Voters can vote at any location in their respective county where early voting is offered. Early voting offers the following additional benefits:

  • Makes voting more accessible to more citizens;
  • Increases voter participation rates; 
  • Allows more accurate and efficient ballot counts;
  • Reduces administrative costs to the taxpayer; and
  • Creates a more informed and thoughtful electorate.
Nevada Secretary of State Early Voting Information

Voting in Person on Election Day

Resources

  • Election Protection
    • Visit 866 Our Vote to view election related deadlines and guidelines for your state, including voter ID information. 
    • You can call the Election Protection Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) if you have voting related questions. You can report issues at polling places through the hotline.
  • Clark County Voter Services - Check your voter registration status, update your registration address, make updates to your party, ballot language preferences (available in English, Spanish, and Tagalog), find the contact information for all of your elected officials, and more. We recommend checking out the Registered Voter Services page if you are registered in Clark County.
  • Clark County Election Department - Find information and resources for upcoming elections, learn about, and apply to be a poll worker in an upcoming election.
  • Nevada Secretary of State Election Website - Find information about statewide updates for voter registration and upcoming elections.