With Election Day approaching on Nov. 3, UC Berkeley students will have access to several voting locations on and near campus.
On campus, a vote center located in Eshleman Hall will be open from Saturday, Oct. 31, to Monday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. This year, to accommodate major Election Day rushes, the center has been moved from the second to the third floor, providing more space for students to stand in line to vote.
According to ASUC Vote Coalition, or VoteCo, Director Emma Ramos, the limited space at the second-floor vote center in previous years saw “daunting” lines during the 2024 presidential election and the 2025 special election for Proposition 50.
“Students would see the line wrap around all of Lower Sproul and would not want to wait in line or not want to vote,” Ramos said. “Hopefully those lines are looking a little bit less packed this time around with our new location.”
An off-campus vote center at the YWCA on Bancroft Way opened for early voting Saturday, Oct. 24. Ramos said students are “not super aware” of early voting options and encouraged them to cast their ballots early at the YWCA instead of “waiting until the last minute.”
Both vote centers offer same-day voter registration and ballot drop-off, as well as materials in multiple languages to accommodate Berkeley’s diverse population.
Additionally, students can drop off their ballots 24/7 at vote-by-mail drop boxes around Berkeley. One drop box is located on campus, between Sather Gate and the Architects & Engineers building.
Off campus, drop boxes can be found outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center and several branches of the Berkeley Public Library.
Out-of-state students must either register to vote in California or request an absentee ballot from their home state.
VoteCo has compiled a nonpartisan voting guide for students with information about the midterm elections, including where and how to vote.
“We make all of the information that’s on the ballot more digestible,” Ramos said. “Hopefully, it’s not too confusing for students who are first-time voters or who aren’t super in tune with politics.”
VoteCo hosted “Votechella” Friday, Oct. 23, on the Savio Steps of Upper Sproul Plaza to share voting resources with students and encourage them to vote early. It has also distributed its voting guide to student organizations across campus.
For those voting in person, VoteCo will be tabling near polling locations Monday, Nov. 2, and Election Day to help direct voters.