Long lines, cold weather, dimpled chads and senior citizens.
When contemplating voting, those are just a few terms that enter a student's mind.
But increasingly, students are turning to absentee voting as a way to remain active back home.
On Feb. 5, or Super Tuesday, 22 states will hold primaries for the presidential election, making the day extremely valuable in the nominating process. The states voting range from New York and California to Utah and Oklahoma.
That means that, for the 70 percent of Penn's American students living out of state, those wishing to vote during their primaries will have to turn to absentee ballots.
Unfortunately, the process is not always that helpful.
Every state has a different set of laws regulating absentee voting. In 26 states, laws require voters to have signatures from either a witness or a notary public to verify a ballot's authenticity.
In the midst of spring classes, most Penn students don't have that kind of time.
"To be honest, it's not easy," said College senior Joe Gross, the vice president of the Penn Democrats. "For college students, the more steps there are, the harder it gets."
However, many students are willing to put up with the extra work and make sure that they have a say in the election.
"Absentee votes do matter," said College junior A.J. Schiera, who is involved with Penn Leads the Vote, a nonpartisan student group dedicated to voter registration and turnout.
Schiera said students should find out the laws in their state and plan accordingly.
"If they're voting absentee, I'd encourage them to get a clear understanding of their deadlines early on," Schiera added.
And some say the process isn't as difficult as it might appear.
"I got [an absentee ballot] at home, and it was really easy," College sophomore and College Republicans president Zac Byer said.
"It's fairly straightforward and takes less than five minutes of effort," said College freshman Jeff Weinstein, who will be voting in New York's primary.
"It's actually easier than showing up at the ballot box," he said.
As students play a more active role in national politics, their absentee votes are becoming an untapped resource in the process, says Randall Miller, a Saint Joseph's University professor and political analyst.
However, whether students will deliver is still uncertain.
"The [absentee balloting] process varies from place to place and is often difficult to follow nationally. Many students won't want to vote at home absentee and will want to vote at college in order to make a difference," he said.
But to students, voting is, in general, more than just a strategic move.
"Personally, this is such an important [election] year, and I knew I needed to vote," College freshman Jenna Stahl said.
