Editorial | Last call for registration

Penn students have until next Monday to stand up and be counted.

Oct. 6 is the last day to register to vote for the presidential elections. All Penn students who will be 18 before Election Day and are American citizens can register. For more instructions, see the information below this editorial.

Unfortunately, some public officials have told college students that registering to vote at their campus address could change their financial aid or tax status.

As the Committee of Seventy - a local nonpartisan group for clean government - points out, these are myths. Registering to vote at your dorm address usually doesn't affect financial aid packages, and it won't affect your parents' ability to claim you as a dependent on their tax forms.

So why should you register? We all know that the next president will help determine the outcome of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, deal with the current economic crisis and shape the country's social policies by appointing Supreme Court justices.

But perhaps the most convincing reason is this: Eight years ago, the presidential election came down to a few hundred votes.

Pennsylvania is a swing state, and this election may be as close as they come.

Will you play a part in deciding the outcome?

Registration Instructions

Visit www.leadthevote.com for printable registration forms and instructions on how to fill the form out. Deadline to register is October 6.

Drop off the completed form in a Penn Leads the Vote Box, located in Houston Hall, Ware, Fisher, Hill, Rodin and Gregory College Houses or mail to:

Philadelphia County Voter Registration Office 520 N Delaware AVE 5th FL Philadelphia PA 19123-4295

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