College Students and Voting

“My kid is about to go off to college. Is there anything he or she should know?”
Posted on 08/10/2020
The College Vote

The College Vote

“My kid is about to go off to college. Is there anything he or she should know?”

The best advice we can give is for your student to remain registered in Northampton, or register here before they go off to college. It is likely they will be asked to register by political groups or clubs on campus and be encouraged to register under their campus address. If your student registers with their campus address it will change their residency from Northampton to the campus’ locality. This may affect scholarships specific to Shore residents or have other unintended consequences.

Before your student goes, he or she should apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed to their campus address. They can apply online at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/absentee-voting/ or contact our office to request an application at[email protected] . Also, we will be open the last two Saturdays before the election, October 24 and 31, for in-person voting. These dates often coincide with fall breaks (if they have one this year), so your student can vote in person.

Thanks for helping us out and encouraging our young folks to vote. They will find voting is simple and convenient, and hopefully this will be the start of lifetime of good voting habits. 


Terrence P. Flynn
General Registrar 
Northampton County
Post Office Box 510
Eastville, VA 23347
Phone: 6757-678-0480
Fax: 757-678-0453